'Sabah should establish a Covid-19 vaccination task force'

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah should have a special Covid-19 vaccination task force to ensure a smooth distribution of the vaccine and its safe administration to the people in the state.

Sabah Independent Candidates Alliance (SICA) member Melanie Chia said it is also essential in view of the complexity of its distribution process which requires sub-zero cold storage and transportation.

"First and foremost, the special taskforce should ensure that there is sufficient cold storage facilities and transportation to distribute the vaccines.

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"It is especially crucial to have an adequate number of trained medical personnel to safely administer the vaccine to individuals who are fit to undergo Covid-19 vaccination.

"This is because there had been some cases of side effects of the vaccine reported, after it was administered to health workers in the United Kingdom and United States of America, recently, as well as among the volunteers during the trials," she said in a statement.

While SICA acknowledged that Covid-19 vaccination program comes under the Federal government's jurisdiction, Chia said the state government should take the initiative of coming out with its own vaccination plan to better facilitate and complement the national Covid-19 vaccination programme.

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She added that the special task force should take into consideration Sabah's challenging logistics in the rural areas, besides the presence of a huge number of foreign immigrants and workers in the state.

"The state government through the special taskforce should also set up a dedicated social media platform to keep the public abreast of the Covid-19 vaccination program," she added.

Malaysia is expected to receive its first batch of Covid-19 vaccines to immunise 6.4 million Malaysians, as early as February next year.

Malaysia inked a deal with the Covax Facility (Covax) and Pfizer on Nov 23 and Nov 24 respectively, to supply 12.8 million doses to cover 20 percent of the population.