KOTA KINABALU: The Covid-19 vaccination is seen as the best way to provide protection against the Covid-19 virus and stop it from spreading further as well as break its chain of infection, said ex-Communication and Multimedia Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak.
Citing a statement by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin yesterday, Salleh said that the public must register to receive the Covid-19 vaccination beginning this March to avoid congestion and wastages.
“We must wait for the announcement from the government with regards to the matter. Meanwhile, we should seek out reliable news source concerning the Covid-19 vaccine.
“Follow the latest development on the National Immunisation Programme at the Malaysia Health Ministry’s official website (KKM) at http://covid-19.moh.gov.my/vaksin-covid-19,” said Salleh in his blog.
According to him, the spread of fake or unreliable news can cause panic and harm at a time when the country is still struggling to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
“With the cumulative cases of 51,217 as of 13th February, Sabah now ranks second after Selangor.
“In early January, we recorded between 200 and 400 new cases daily and had the highest total of accumulated cases,” he said.
Salleh said that in the past seven days, Sabah showed a downward trend in the number of infections.
“We are relieved with the trend, but we still cannot be too happy because we are remained under threat of Covid-19 and health specialists are also advising that we shouldn’t feel too safe,” he said.
He said that the vaccine’s arrival does not mean that the country will be independent from and cured of Covid-19.
“At least 70 percent of the people must be vaccinated to achieve cluster community and the remaining 30 percent of the population will be protected if 70 percent have vaccine protection.
“This process will take time and so, we cannot be careless with the pandemic,” he said.
Salleh said that the drop in new cases and the arrival of the vaccine is merely the first step towards the full recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
He is confident that the GRS government will give its commitment and cooperation with the Federal Government in ensuring the Covid-19 National Immunisation Plan achieves its aim fro Sabah and the entire country.
