KOTA BARU – Kelantan police have detected a handful of officers and rank-and-file personnel who have refused Covid-19 vaccination.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Shafien Mamat said the matter was detected through the letters of consent that they have to sign before receiving their shots.
He said they would be called up in the near future to find out more and detail the reasons for their refusal to receive the vaccine.
“So far, the number in Kelantan is only a few and I will meet with them to find the real problem. If they have diseases such as asthma, chronic diseases, and others, or in the case of pregnancy, they will be exempted,” he said after the Kelantan Police Contingent Headquarters monthly assembly here today.
Shafien said he did not want any police personnel in the state to be influenced by anti-vaccine groups, when they should be an example to society.
Meanwhile, he said 1,018 out of the 3,922-strong Kelantan contingent had received their jabs as of yesterday.
“A total of 2,547 officers and rank-and-file personnel will be injected under the first phase, which started in early March.
“We are still waiting for additional vaccines for the use of personnel in three districts, namely Kota Baru, Kuala Krai, and Pasir Mas,” he said.
On February 25, Kelantan received 18,720 doses of Covid-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech for the first phase of vaccination in the state under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, It is being implemented in stages at 31 vaccination centres.
Covid-19 vaccination in the country is on a voluntary basis.
On March 2, Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob was the first to receive the vaccine injection, marking the launch of the immunisation programme at the state level. – Bernama, March 11, 2021