KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s vaccination rate for children under the age of 12 got off to a slow start on Feb 3 but has since picked up, says Sabah Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk Shahelmy Yahya.

       He said on the first day, only 20 children under the age of 12 took their Covid-19 vaccination shots at the Women and Children’s Hospital in Likas near here.

       “But after that, we saw some 50 to 60 children getting their shots daily here,” he said after visiting the hospital to check on the vaccination programme for children yesterday.

       Shahelmy said all of them were walk-in vaccinations.

       “Parents can choose to just walk-in and bring their children to receive their jabs or register via MySejahtera and wait for the appointment,” he added.

       He said parents who have yet to receive their booster shots would be administered the vaccine when they bring their children for their shots.

       He encouraged adults to take it to boost immunity against Covid-19, especially in view of the Omicron variant, adding that schools might be used as vaccination centres for students soon to boost the vaccination rate in the state.

       On another matter, he said Sabah had not discussed the possibility of more social or movement restrictions for the state in view of the increased number of Covid-19 cases.

       Asked whether there would be more restrictions now that the cases had spiked and breached the 2,000 mark on Tuesday, he replied: “Not yet.”

       Shahelmy also reminded those who have not done so to get their booster shots before March or risk losing their fully vaccinated status.