Coordinating Minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Khairy Jamaluddin announced yesterday that several new groups will be added as vaccine recipients in the second phase as registration for the second phase was not full at achieving its target.
In view of the fact that a total of 41 Covid-19 clusters were detected in educational institutions nationwide since the incremental resumption of physical classes in January, the Coordinating Minister must give priority to all teachers for Covid-19 vaccination from April.
According to the Health Ministry (MOH) director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, 15 of these clusters were detected in institutions of higher education, 11 of them in secondary schools, 10 from primary and preschools, and five more clusters involving tahfiz and madrasah religious schools over the last three months.
The 41 clusters, he added, involved 2,228 cases, with the highest being from higher education institutions at 1,058. This is followed by secondary schools at 631 cases, pre-school and primary schools (419) and others (120).
School closure has far-reaching ramifications. We therefore fully support school reopening. However, 41 clusters involving 2,228 cases will deter the parents from sending their kids and raise many safety questions. Parents need to be assured that appropriate measures are taken to protect children before children are allowed to go back to school.
55,539 teachers in government schools under the Ministry of Education with co-morbidities were included in the first phase of the immunisation programme. However, other teachers in institutions managed by other Government agencies (such as GENIUS Institution, People Religious Schools, State Religious Schools, MARA Junior Colleges, Royal Military Colleges) and those in private (such as Private Schools, International Schools, Religious Schools, Chinese Independent Schools, Correspondence School, Expatriate Schools) are left out.
I hope when YB Khairy Jamaluddin makes the announcement on Monday, all teachers, whether in government or in private sectors, will be prioritised as they and their students could be exposed to the same level of risks.