KUCHING: The Covid-19 vaccination programme for 16 villages in the Telaga Air area here is expected to be completed by the end of next month or early August.

       Pantai Damai assemblyman Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi said the Telaga Air health clinic was currently vaccinating 360 people a week since opening as a vaccination centre on June 15.

       He said 1,080 people from the area would 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 Telaga Air vaccination centre on Monday (June 28).

       Dr Abdul Rahman said this was a good indication towards helping Sarawak to achieve 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 said it was important to achieve herd immunity as quickly as possible so that lives could return to normal.

       "Now we are still not allowed to go out like before or hold large gatherings while we remain under various movement control orders.

       "With herd immunity, we will be able to protect our people and curb the spread of the virus.

       "If possible, we want everyone to be vaccinated so that we can go back to our lives as normal and have community activities," he said.

       As such, Dr Abdul Rahman 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, he said vaccination centres had also been set up at the Santubong and Kampung Buntal health clinics.