Health Dept urged to vaccinate all Sarawakians, with IC or without

 

The Sarawak Health Department has been urged to vaccinate all Sarawakians regardless of whether or not they have identity cards.

Youth group Undi Sarawak said statelessness should not hinder efforts to achieve herd immunity.

"We believe that fellow native Sarawakians in rural areas who may be legally stateless due to their lack of a MyKad or birth certificate should still be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine.

"The Covid-19 virus does not discriminate and it does not care if its victims do not possess a Malaysian identification card.

"In the same way, the issue of having a MyKad should not prevent the Sarawak state government from its efforts to inoculate native Sarawakians who do not possess a MyKad," the group said in a statement today.

Yesterday, The Vibes reported that indigenous Sarawakians in the Baram district were denied vaccines as they did not have a MyKad.

The Miri Health Department denied this had occurred, saying it had a mechanism in place to deal with those without the right documentation.

However, it said it will still investigate the matter.

Separately, Telang Usan assemblyperson Dennis Ngau was quoted as saying that MyKad holders were given priority over those without due to the limited vaccine supply.

He told The Vibes that those without identification cards must be accompanied by their village chiefs to verify that they are indeed locals. - Mkini