Over 1,000 students flock to Labuan’s vaccination centres

LABUAN, Oct 15 -- More than 1,000 students flocked to the COVID-19 vaccination centres (PPV) at Kompleks Darul Kifayah hall and SK Sungai Lada here for their second jabs today.

Labuan COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force chairman Rithuan Ismail said the students, aged between 13 and 17, were accompanied by their parents or guardians.

“They turned up as early as 7 am to avoid the crowd…and until afternoon, we can still see a large group of students with their parents and guardians in the waiting tents and hall as well as at the counters to get the second jabs.

“We provided a high number of healthcare personnel and volunteers to help speed up and smoothen the flow of the vaccination exercise,” he told Bernama.

Rithuan said 84.80 per cent of the total 10,094 listed students (aged between 12 and 17) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 35.50 per cent have been fully vaccinated, as of Oct 13.  

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has agreed to reopen schools in this Federal Territory beginning Oct 4, with the first phase involving students of Forms Five and Six.

Senior Education Minister Dr Radzi Jidin said the decision to reopen schools in Labuan was made after considering that the duty-free island is the only state or Federal Territory that has entered Phase Four of the National Recovery Plan whereby COVID-19 infections are manageable.

A mother, Wardati Mohd Yusof, 46, when met at the PPV said her 14-year-old daughter received the appointment for the second dose today for the resumed class on Oct 30.

“It’s so important to get this vaccine done so we can move forward and out of this pandemic, and we’re not there yet… we need to get a lot more people vaccinated so that we can start to return to more normal activities,” she said.

-- BERNAMA