June 28, 2021
A medical worker tests a child at a free Covid-19 testing site in Shah Alam, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Reuters
In the interior of Malaysia’s Sabah state, two thirds of which remains under forest cover, citizens are deeply sceptical about Covid-19 vaccinations.
The state has experienced its fair share of trauma during the pandemic, stemming from its experience as the “ground zero” of the nationwide third wave of infections that stretches back to September.
Despite having witnessed deaths and hospitalisations, “many are afraid” of what inoculations might do to them, Jannie Lasimbang, a Sabah state assemblywoman, told This Week in Asia.