New cases hovered between 100 and 300 in June and July, but a spike was seen in July 17 with more than 600 new cases reported.
After a brief reprieve, things got worse with infections suddenly soaring to over 1,000 cases at the end of July. The numbers have remained mostly in four figures ever since, peaking at 2,052 cases on Thursday, which is a new record high for Sabah.
Local entrepreneur Oliver Galasius said 20% of Sabah’s 103,437 cumulative cases were recorded in the space of just 16 days from July 30, when infections first breached the 1,000 mark.
“Between July 30 and Aug 14, the total number of new cases reported was 20,817. The last time Sabah had over 1,000 cases was last November, and that was only for a day on Nov 6,” he told FMT.
“Sabah Covid-19 official spokesman Masidi Manjun warned the people to be more careful as sporadic infections are on the increase. We don’t know where the source is from as everyone can be a carrier.”
Galasius said he is waiting for his second vaccine jab next week while his wife has already received both doses. However, their two children are too young to be vaccinated.
“I just can’t risk it. I spend some time outside our home because of work but I ensure I follow the SOPs and so does my wife. But that is all we can do. We worry every day if we are bringing home the virus,” he added.
Galasius recalled reading news about Labuan residents fearing to leave their homes not too long ago.
“The situation is reversed now with Sabah going through the same. Labuan went from being one of the worst infected states or territories in the country to having virtually zero cases today (Aug 14), all because vaccination was expedited.
“We are the ‘new Labuan’ as we are feeling what the Labuan residents felt before. So we want the same done in Sabah, more vaccinations.
“I hope the federal government will fulfil their promises of uninterrupted vaccine supply to the state and at the same time I hope the state government will itself endeavour to keep a sufficient vaccine stock,” he said.
With the massive surge in cases and rise in the mortality rate, the awareness among the people on the importance of being vaccinated has also risen, as Michelle Germaine will attest.
While not exactly an anti-vaxxer, the private sector worker said she had her doubts over the safety of the vaccine, particularly over how she would react to it.
“My biggest concern is the unknown side effects, perhaps five or 10 years into the future,” she told FMT.
“Plus with new variants appearing, the possibility of getting vaccinated every now and then also worries me.
“But for me, protection is still protection no matter how small it is. If complications or the death rate from Covid-19 can be reduced with vaccines, then it’s better than nothing. And I believe in the importance of herd immunity.”
That is why Germaine didn’t mind lining up and waiting for hours for a walk-in vaccination at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) near here recently.
Despite her earlier concerns, she signed up to get vaccinated through MySejahtera way back in March but never received an appointment date.
“The walk-in vaccination received an overwhelming response. I had to wait for three hours before I got my turn.
“This shows that despite the state’s low vaccination rate and rumours of Sabahans rejecting the vaccines, I believe a lot of people are actually eager to be vaccinated, especially after Sabah hit record-high cases.
“Because of the long queue, I saw many had to stand under the hot sun but they still waited patiently for their turn. The issue in Sabah is the supply, so I hope the authorities will address that,” she said.
Retired government servant Floris Jais said she was one of those who previously resisted the vaccination after reading too much news of the side effects online.
“I read of people allegedly having deformities or even dying due to vaccination, so that really scared me. So I didn’t want to register and even rejected an offer from a relative who is a hospital matron to help me with the registration.
“But I finally relented, although reluctantly, after my children convinced me.
“I have received both doses now and there were no side effects. Hopefully, I can travel out of the country now,” she said.
With vaccination being the key to bringing down infections, like it did in Labuan, the Sabah government has over the past week accelerated the immunisation programme to reach more people in order to achieve herd immunity.
The vaccination rate may have increased but still remains comparatively low. Only 20.8% of Sabah’s adult population have been fully vaccinated, which is the lowest in the country.
Besides being a big state and thus having residents in far-flung locations, other factors that may affect the vaccination rate in Sabah are largely to do with available vaccine stock and an uninterrupted delivery of fresh supplies from the peninsula.
The state government is aware of this and recently committed to purchasing its own supply through its GLCs.
Sabah is also scheduled to receive 1.5 million doses this month, with portions of the supply having been sent to the state since last week.
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