Include Sabah in Covid vaccine trial, SCCC tells Health Ministry

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) President Datuk Frankie Liew (pic) urged the Health Ministry to include Sabah in the clinical trial for Covid-19 vaccine. 

He said Sabah was one of the states with the highest positive Covid-19 cases, yet was excluded from the list of eight hospitals which have been selected for clinical trial for the Covid-19 vaccine. 

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said Malaysia would undertake the Covid-19 vaccine trial in collaboration with China’s Institute of Medical Biology Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMBCAMS). 

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He said the Health Ministry has selected eight government hospitals for the trial, namely Ampang Hospital, Sarawak General Hospital, Sungai Buloh Hospital, Pulau Pinang Hospital, Seberang Jaya Hospital, Taiping Hospital, Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, Alor Setar and Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital, Ipoh. 

Liew said Sabah was one of the worst-hit states which once recorded over 1,000 daily increase in Covid-19 cases. 

For the past week, he said the number of new cases daily hovered around 300. 

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As such, he believed that Sabah should be included as one of the clinical trial states. 

“If the vaccine is successful, Sabah should be given priority in Covid-19 vaccination to curb the spread of the virus in the shortest time possible.

“It is baffling that Sarawak was included in the clinical trial when its new cases maintains at single digit, whereas Sabah that is severely hit by Covid-19 was excluded.”

Liew urged the Health Ministry to reconsider its decision and include Sabah in the clinical trial.