KUCHING, July 1 — Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg today reiterated that his administration is not focused on holding a state election once the Emergency is lifted.

Instead, the only priority for the state government is to vaccinate residents against Covid-19.

"We are focusing on the people and we want them to be safe and protected from the virus.

"Not focusing on the election at the moment… we are giving priority to the people,” he told reporters after visiting the vaccine administration centre at Jalan Masjid Clinic here.

The chief minister was asked at a press conference if he would call for a fresh mandate after the state has achieved the herd immunity of 80 per cent of the state’s population, expected to be at the end of August.

The current Sarawak government’s five-year mandate expired on June 6. The state election could not be held due to the nationwide Emergency proclaimed in January and which is supposed to end on August 1.

Abang Johari acknowledged that Sarawak has one of the highest Covid-19 cases in the country and gave an assurance that vaccination is the state’s priority.

He said he has informed Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin of Sarawak’s willingness to buy its own Covid-19 vaccines.

"But because we have made arrangements with the federal government, we will carry out what we have planned,” he said.

Abang Johari said Sarawak’s Covid-19 situation has yet to stabilise, noting the jump in the last three days, from 242 new cases last Tuesday to 376 yesterday and 544 today.

"On average, we have vaccinated over 50 per cent for the whole of Sarawak or 1.3 million of our population have already been vaccinated, either first or second doses.

"Our target is to vaccinate 2.08 million or 80 pc of the state’s population by August,” he said.

He said about 300,000 people from the Kuching division — consisting of Kuching, Bau, and Lundu districts — have been vaccinated with first and second doses.

He added a total of 583,000 Sarawakians in the Kuching division are eligible to be vaccinated.