KUCHING: Being eighty-two years old and wheelchair-bound didn’t stop Najah Ahmad from Kampung Sibu Laut here from getting her Covid-19 jab at the Telaga Air health clinic across the river from her village.

       Sitting in a wheelchair, she was helped onto a boat for the 10-minute ride across the Sibu River to reach the clinic, located about 200m from the jetty at Kampung Telaga Air.

       “I’m thankful to receive the vaccine. I want to get vaccinated to protect myself, my family and others.

       “I’ve been waiting patiently and I felt happy when my name was called for the vaccination,” Najah said after getting her first dose yesterday.

       She added that her children and other villagers helped to bring her to the clinic for her vaccination.

       The Telaga Air health clinic started operating as a vaccination centre on June 15, serving 16 villages in the surrounding area.

       Helping hand: Najah being helped on board a boat at the Kampung Sibu Laut jetty, Kuching. — ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/ The Star

       Pantai Damai assemblyman Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi said the clinic was currently vaccinating 360 people a week, with a total of 1,080 individuals to be vaccinated by the end of this week.

       “The vaccination has been proceeding smoothly with assistance from community leaders, village headmen and volunteers from the village development and security committees and NGOs.

       “If we can continue the programme without any hindrance, my target is that eligible recipients from all 16 villages will complete their first and second doses by the end of July or early August,” he said after visiting the clinic to observe the vaccination process.

       Dr Abdul Rahman said this was a good sign of Sarawak achieving herd immunity against Covid-19 by the end of August.

       “At the grassroots level, we are working hard to ensure that as many eligible villagers as possible will come to the vaccination centres to get their jabs,” he said.

       He urged the people in his constituency not to be anxious about the vaccine but to come forward for their jabs.

       Besides the Telaga Air health clinic, Dr Abdul Rahman said vaccination centres had also been set up at the Santubong and Kampung Buntal health clinics.