KOTA KINABALU: Former Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew has urged the State Health Department to ensure that its COVID-19 Task Force is walking the extra mile to boost the low vaccination rate to bring down the infectivity rate in Sabah while calling for public cooperation.
The Tawau MP said currently, only 30.3pc of the adult population in the state have been fully vaccinated.
She noted that the department’s Director had revealed in an interview with Astro Awani last week that a task force has been set up to expedite the vaccination programme to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“We hope the strategies such as outreach vaccination programme (as mentioned by the Director) will cover all the districts in general, and Tawau in particular.
“However, vaccination without enforced compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) will not bring about the desired results.
“While the increase in COVID-19 cases is to be expected (as stated by the Director) in the days or weeks ahead, as the virus is spreading in the community, we should not be resigned to our fate.
“As responsible citizens, it is imperative that we play our part, too, by not violating the SOPs set by the Government,” Liew, who is also Api Api Assemblywoman, said in a statement on Monday.
She lamented that since the beginning of August, Sabah has persisted in recording a four-digit increase in daily positive cases.
“It reached an all-time high of 2,738 cases on August 20. And on Monday (August 23), Sabah registered a total of 2,474 cases making it the second highest state in the country after Selangor.
“Indeed, it is heart-wrenching to know that some 277 people mainly from Kota Kinabalu and Tawau have succumbed to the deadly disease this month alone as of August 22 (Sunday),” Liew said.