Orang Asli vaccination programme needs boost, says Khairy

 

Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin says many in the Orang Asli community, especially the semi-nomadic tribes, are not fully vaccinated. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The number of Orang Asli who have taken their booster shots is still low, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said, in calling for a “more consistent” outreach vaccination programme for the community.

He said the low uptake was especially among a few Orang Asli tribes who have semi-nomadic lifestyles where they migrate from one place to another.

“It is necessary for health personnel to be consistent in implementing the Orang Asli outreach vaccination programme to ensure the community is not left out from the national Covid-19 immunisation programme,” he said after observing children being vaccinated at the Orang Asli Gombak Hospital under the PICKids programme today.

He said as many as 18,161 Orang Asli adults had been reported to be Covid-19 positive up to Feb 28. A total of 196 had also died.

PICKids is expanding its walk-ins to 412 vaccination centres across the country during the current school holidays. It aims to vaccinate 3.6 million children aged five to 12 ahead of the new school year to make sure the risk of infection is minimised and to prevent clusters and cases among school staff.

Khairy also gave an assurance the Orang Asli community will not be deprived of healthcare services in line with the World Health Organization’s Sustainable Development Goals. - FMT