Sabah receives first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

KOTA KINABALU, Feb 25 -- Sabah today received 16,380 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to kickstart the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme in the state which will be implemented in the near future.

State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, who is also state government spokesman on COVID-19, said five more batches of the vaccine would be delivered in stages until April 1.

He said the second batch of 9,360 doses will be delivered on March 4, followed by the third batch of 24,550 doses on March 11, while the fourth batch of 3,510 doses on March 18.

“The fifth batch of the vaccine, a total of 18,720 doses, will be delivered on March 25, followed by the sixth batch of 31,590 doses will be delivered on April 1,” he told reporters after receiving the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines via special aircraft at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) 2 here, at 12.40 pm today.

Masidi also said that the state Health Department (JKNS) will determine vaccination process for frontliners under the immunisation programme.

“The Sabah government has left it to the discretion of JKNS for the vaccination process of 42,117 frontliners in the state,” he said.

Masidi said Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor was scheduled to officiate the immunisation programme and receive the vaccine on March 4.

Meanwhile, state Community Development and People’s Well-being Minister Shahelmey Yahya hoped that the people in the state, especially in the rural areas, would not be affected by various negative rumours about the vaccine.

He said the vaccine was safe to use and its effectiveness had also been clinically tested for medical purposes.

-- BERNAMA