KUCHING, March 30 — Less than 29 per cent of the population in Sarawak have registered for the Covid-19 vaccination, according to the latest statistics released by the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV)

As of yesterday (March 29), JKJAV in its daily report disclosed that 591,921 people in Sarawak or 28.57 per cent of the state’s population have registered for the vaccination exercise.

On Sunday (March 28), the figure was 581,668 people who have registered in the state or 28.07 per cent of the state’s population.

The JKJAV, which posted these updates on its Facebook page, reported that the nationwide progress of vaccine registration was 30.21 per cent of Malaysia’s population as of yesterday.

The highest number of Covid-19 vaccine registration was recorded in Federal Territory of Putrajaya at 83.33 per cent, followed by Kuala Lumpur (41.8 per cent), Selangor (41.69 per cent) and Penang (37.26 per cent) in the top five standings.

Meanwhile, Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, when contacted, clarified the figures represented only those whose names were listed by the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF).

He indicated that the number of those who registered for the Covid-19 vaccine in Sarawak was actually more than one million people, including those who had registered manually and not through MySejahtera.

"We have another 700,000 people who registered manually but not yet listed in their (CITF system),” he said.

Earlier in a Facebook post, Dr Sim — who holds watching brief on health — called on more Sarawakians to play their role and part by registering for Covid-19 vaccination.

He said the state needs minimum 70 per cent of the population, or 99 per cent of those aged above 18 years old which is about two million people, to be vaccinated in order to have herd immunity to protect Sarawak from Covid-19.

"We also need numbers to demand our rightful doses of vaccines from Kuala Lumpur (federal government), apart from the SCOVAG (Sarawak Covid-19 Vaccines Advisory Committee)’s negotiations with suppliers to buy vaccines,” he said in his Facebook post on Monday night.

He also revealed that in Sarawak, more than 700,000 persons have been registered manually but this list of names need to be ‘cleaned up’ to avoid duplications before their names are entered through the MySejahtera application.

According to him, the highest percentage registered and eligible for Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the vaccination exercise are in Sibu at 84 per cent followed by Mukah (80 per cent)

Sri Aman recorded 77 per cent, followed by Limbang (70 per cent), Samarahan (68.6 per cent), Sarikei (56.9 per cent), Kuching (54.2 per cent), Betong (53.36 per cent), Serian (53.3 per cent), Miri (50.3 per cent), Kapit (43.9 per cent) and Bintulu (43.5 per cent).

Yesterday, Coordinating Minister of the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme Khairy Jamaluddin had said Phase 2 of the national vaccination exercise which prioritises the elderly, those with morbidity problems and persons with disabilities will commence on April 19.

Khairy said recipients will be notified of their vaccination appointments from April 5, two weeks prior to the appointment date, through the MySejahtera application, phone calls and the short messaging system (SMS).

As at Sunday (March 28), he said about two million individuals in the second phase had registered through MySejahtera, out of a target of nine million people.

"While waiting for registration of the second-phase groups and when the supply of vaccines is sufficient, those who have registered under the third phase will be given priority to receive the vaccine.

"If the registration for the second phase is slow, we will not wait. The vaccination process for the third phase will be simplified,” he had said at a press conference on the development of the Covid-19 immunisation programme in Putrajaya.

The third phase involves adults aged 18 and above and is scheduled to take place this May.

Thus far, he said, a total of 7,235,436 individuals had registered on the MySejahtera application, while 580,765 individuals had been vaccinated under the immunisation exercise.

The top five states for vaccination included Selangor at 75,317 doses, followed by Perak with 59,305 doses, Sarawak (57,034), Sabah (52,223) and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (50,512), he said.

Khairy also said the CITF had identified large-scale vaccination centres to be opened in stadium areas, stadium grounds and large conference halls. — Borneo Post Online