BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug 24 : A total of 259,117 people, or 41.4 per cent of the population, had received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as of Sunday (Aug 22) at 5pm.

According to updates from the Ministry of Health (MoH), 165,376 from Brunei-Muara District, 35,476 from Tutong District, 32,863 from Belait District, and 25,402 from Temburong District have been vaccinated.

From the total figure of vaccination, 187,893 individuals had received the first dose while the remaining 71,224 had completed the schedule.

The country aims to vaccinate 70 per cent of its population by the end of the year to achieve herd immunity against the COVID-19 outbreak.

With the recent opening of two new vaccination centres - Jubli Emas Kampong Bunut Vaccination Centre and the vaccination centre at Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSB IHS) Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) - it has helped boost the vaccination capacity to 10,000 persons per day.

Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar reminded the public that those who have received the Covid-19 vaccine are still likely to get infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but in general, the infection will only cause mild symptoms.

He also highlighted that Covid-19 vaccination is still the most effective measure against the effects of the infection. People who have not yet received the Covid-19 vaccine, especially the elderly and those with chronic diseases, are advised to book a vaccination slot as soon as possible.

 - ANN