Salleh Said Keruak said while the programme was good, its lethargic pace needed to be rectified, adding that it was vital to put in measures to speed up vaccination.

In a blog post today, Salleh said some Malaysians were still not aware of this programme and have yet to register.

“In Sabah, those living in the rural areas understand better the importance of adhering to SOPs in fighting Covid-19 than the importance of vaccination.

“We need to ensure vaccination moves at a fast speed.

“The government can include private healthcare workers in the programme to reduce the burden on our public healthcare workers,” he said.

The Usukan assemblyman suggested that the government increase the number of special vaccination centres, especially in rural areas in Sabah.

“Bank Negara has said that our economic growth will improve this year only if our vaccination programme is carried out at the pace the government originally planned,” he said.