KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is investigating the low uptake of Covid-19 vaccinations among adults in Sabah, especially those in certain urban areas in the east coast.
State immunisation programme operations director Shahelmey Yahya said they were perplexed as to why many were not embracing vaccinations, especially in urban areas like Sandakan and Tawau.
“If based on statistics, many are still not coming forward,” said the state Community Development and People’s Well-Being Minister when contacted yesterday.
However, he said that local officers were verifying the actual scenario on the ground to ascertain whether some of the identified people were currently living outside those districts, and have been vaccinated elsewhere.
Shahelmey said the uptake of vaccination is slow in nine districts, including Tawau and Sandakan, which are more urbanised.
The seven others are semi-rural Kinabatangan, Telupid, Tongod, Kalabakan, Papar, Semporna and Nabawan.
All the nine districts have yet to see 60% of their adult population vaccinated, a prerequisite for lifting the ban on inter-district travel within the zones.
“Hopefully, those who have not come forward without any valid medical reasons will consider getting vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said.
Shahelmey said rural outreach programmes were still continuing, with more house-to-house exercises being carried out.
On Thursday, state Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said that travel in and out of the nine districts will not be allowed until at least 60% of their adult population had been fully vaccinated.
As of Friday, Sabah allowed inter-district travels for the remaining 18 districts that had hit the 60% threshold, within five identified zones, which are Zone 1 – Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Putatan, Tuaran, Ranau and Kota Belud districts, Zone 2 (Beaufort, Sipitang and Kuala Penyu), Zone 3 (Kudat, Kota Marudu, Pitas and Beluran), Zone 4 (Lahad Datu and Kunak), and Zone 5 (Keningau, Tambunan and Tenom).
In Sabah, a total of 1,773,611 or 64.3% of the adult population have been fully vaccinated, while 2,292,885 or 73.9% have received their first dose, as of Sept 29.
Sabah has been recording a declining number of Covid-19 positive cases, with 872 cases yesterday.
In his statement yesterday, Masidi said the downward trend was due to more people getting vaccinated, which means, even if they get infected, their symptoms will be milder.
He also noted that with the reducing cases, the pressure on the health facilities and frontliners was also easing over the last week.
Masidi said with the re-introduction of inter-district travel within zones, the government hopes to get the economy moving once more after being severely affected by the pandemic.
Masidi, who is also the state Local Government and Housing Minister as well as state Finance Minister II, hoped that more people come forward to be vaccinated, especially in districts with fewer than 60% adult vaccination.