LABUAN: A total of 2,446 students in Form Four and Form Five here have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of yesterday, ahead of the reopening of schools on Oct 4, said Labuan Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) chairman Rithuan Ismail.
He said this represents 94.33 per cent of the 2,593 students registered for the first phase of vaccination which began on Sept 11.
“All the students, who were accompanied by their parents, were excited to have the opportunity to get the jabs.
“We are quite sure those who have received the first dose will complete the second dose before schools reopen next month,” he told Bernama today.
Rithuan said phase two of the vaccination, for 8,225 students aged 12 to 15, would start soon once the green light was given by the Ministry of Health.
“The total number of children in Labuan eligible for the vaccination, including those out-of-school children, is 10,200, but we will give priority to schoolgoing children,” he said.
He said students whose parents refused to let them get vaccinated would be dealt with by their respective school authorities and the Labuan Health Department as the number was relatively small.
“There must be ways and means to ensure these unvaccinated students can continue their studies, perhaps through home-based learning,” he said.
On Aug 15, Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said schools will reopen on Oct 3 in stages under the National Recovery Plan, starting with students in the examination years of Form Five and Form Six.
Labuan has 17 primary and 10 secondary schools, and 99 per cent of the teachers have been fully vaccinated.- Bernama
