KUALA LUMPUR – The government plans on inoculating Form 5 and 6 students with the two-dose Pfizer vaccine in July and expects to complete it in the same month.
National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told a press conference in Pahang today that this is a request made by Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin.
“We will try to get the first dose in July for the Form 5 students. The education minister wants the option but it has not been decided by the National Security Council.
“The minister wants the option to send students taking exams – Form 5 and Form 6 students – to go back to school by the end of July or August, depending on the number of cases,” said Khairy.
The authorities will be administering the jabs at the schools, which will serve as vaccination centres.
Meanwhile, Khairy, who is also science, technology and innovation minister, told the press conference that Putrajaya is targeting 440,000 doses of vaccines for Pahang by next month. Currently, it has 180,000 vaccines for the state.
Realising the complexity of administering the dose in the rural areas, the government has also deployed its mobile outreach units for these far-flung areas to obtain an 80% vaccination in the state.
“I’ve offered the one-dose CanSino vaccine for the rural areas in Pahang. For the kampung folk and the Orang Asli, I think giving them a single dose will be a lot easier.
“We will receive the CanSino vaccine in July; we are still discussing with the supplier. CanSino will be sent to Sabah, Sarawak, Pahang and other states with a lot of difficult-to-reach rural areas,” said Khairy. – The Vibes, June 18, 2021
