Register for vaccine, Sabahans urged

Kota Kinabalu: Sabahans are urged to register for the Covid-19 vaccine swiftly as this will help the Government in its planning with regards to the vaccination programme in Sabah.

Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, Dr Roland Chia Ming Shen, said it is important for the people to take advantage of the mass Covid-19 vaccination programme by the Government and not allow themselves to be left out.

He said he understood that some people were apprehensive of registering for the vaccination.

“But I assure you that it is safe,” he said after visiting the Covid-19 Vaccine Awareness registration in Lido, on Friday. The event was organised by the Sabah Health Department and the Information Department.

Among those present were leaders from Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) parties such as Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Gerakan, as well as community development leaders (PPM) and Kapitans from Luyang.

Dr Roland had already been vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine on March 20.

“Initially, I felt soreness on my arm where I was injected, and I also felt a feeling of exhaustion which lasted for several hours. I also felt quite sleepy,” he said, describing his experience after receiving the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

He said this experience lasted a day and that he felt alright the next day.

“So, the vaccine is safe. The Health Department adheres to certain guidelines when they administer the vaccine, and they also monitor your condition,” he said.

Dr Roland said registration for the vaccination could be done online via the MySejahtera application or through the vaksincovid.gov.my website.

“They can also register manually and send their registration to the nearest PPM office or Health clinics (Klinik Kesihatan),” he said.

Individuals are also allowed to register for their family members or dependants through their MySejahtera application.

As of March 26, a total of 41,988 people have received their first dosage of the Covid-19 vaccine in Sabah, while 2,831 people have received their second dosage.

Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister Shahelmey Yahya said on March 24 that only 286,000 from the elderly and high-risk group have registered for the vaccination.

He cited low Internet coverage as among the reasons for the delay in registering for the vaccination in Sabah.

Sabah has already received 60,840 doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine and 9,040 of the Sinovac vaccine, so far.