COVID: Sarawak's second phase of vaccination programme to start in April

KUCHING: The second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Sarawak is expected to commence next month, says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

He said the second phase would be a massive and complex exercise as it would involve vaccinating some two million consenting and eligible Sarawakians.

"This (phase) will also include expatriates and both legal and illegal foreign workers, where it is going to be a problem if (they are) not vaccinated.

"We (Sarawak government) have told KL (federal government) about our plan and target to complete our vaccination programme by this August. But then again, our plan and target will depend on the supplies we get," he said in a statement today.

He said the Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) had been holding discussions with the State Vaccination Advisory Group led by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak's (UNIMAS) Faculty of Medical and Health Science expert, Prof Datuk Dr Andrew Kiyu in planning the vaccination process.

Uggah, who is also the SDMC chairman, said the advisory group would collaborate with other medical expert groups on the details and information on the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as to explain the effectiveness of the vaccine.

He said Sarawak had already publicised its vaccination master plan even a month earlier than other states to appeal to the public to go for the vaccination.

"Our Resident's and District Offices have been campaigning actively for the vaccination and registering our people.

"So far, Sarawak's success in vaccinating more than 13,000 frontliners has earned the praise of Coordinating Minister for the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme, Khairy Jamaluddin," he added.

-- BERNAMA