KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's health facilities across the state will not be able to cope with rising Covid-19 cases as the state hit a record high of 3,376 new cases on Tuesday (Aug 24), state Opposition leaders cautioned.

       DAP's Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin and Parti Warisan Sabah's Penampang MP Datuk Darell Leiking in separate statements appealed to both the state and federal governments to immediately take steps to speed up the vaccination exercise to control the virus spread.

       Chan said with vaccination progressing too slowly coupled with growing new cases, it would definitely stretch health services in the state beyond its limits.

       "We are now in deep, deep trouble as the trend over the past few days seem to indicate that cases will only further skyrocket," said Chan, who is Sabah DAP secretary.

       "The extremely slow vaccination rate in Sabah will only lead to more Category 3 to 5 cases, which no doubt Sabah's healthcare system do not have the capacity to cope with," he said.

       Chan said the state government under Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) must address the surge in Covid-19 cases as the situation could go out of control if right steps are not put in place.

       Chan said the GRS government must emulate the previous state government under Warisan-Pakatan Harapan's decision to set up a Health Ministry portfolio to oversee the health issues in the state.

       "They are wrong to abolish the Health portfolio in the state Cabinet and outsource all work to the federal Health Ministry," he said, adding that they had also failed to get adequate vaccine supplies for Sabah.

       "The state government should stop being passive. Sabah needs more than just a Covid-19 spokesperson.

       “We need a Health Minister in the Sabah Cabinet who will be able to take drastic actions for the sake of the people," he added.

       Leiking, who is Warisan deputy president, said that the Federal Government under Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob must explain why there were delays in the promised supplies of vaccines to Sabah.

       Meanwhile, reports are emerging that due to low vaccine supplies, many vaccination centres across the state were not carrying out vaccination drives at full capacity.

       More than 30% of Sabah’s 2.84 million registered adult population has been fully vaccinated while 52.4% have received their first dose.

       State officials have indicated that vaccine supplies were expected to arrive in the next few days.