By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Sept 16: A total of 65,252 individuals aged between 12 and 17 or 21.8 per cent of the estimated 289,000 adolescent population have received at least their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as of Sept 15.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, in stating this, added that 61,271 were 16 to 17-year-olds while the remaining 3,981 were aged 12 to 15 with comorbidities.
Today, 965 students from both Matang and Kuching Vocational Colleges will be inoculated, and with the current pace, he assured that Sarawak is on track to finish inoculating those aged 16 and 17 before the reopening of schools on Oct 3.
“And for those between 12 and 15-years- old, (the tagret is) by the end of October around Oct 22 to 26,” he said.
Abang Johari took the opportunity to thank parents for giving consent for their children to be vaccinated.
He also mentioned the teachers, schools and educational institutions that are cooperating with the Sarawak government in running the immunisation program.
Meanwhile, on the recent high daily caseloads in the State, he pointed out that the figures were due to a backlog of results from intense swabbing and testing in the past month.
“These cases are mostly in Categories 1 and 2, and if you refer to CovidNow, you can see that the hospitalisation rate and other details of Sarawak is relatively low.
“We are on the way towards the endemic phase” said Abang Johari during a press conference at the Majma Hall Covid-19 vaccination centre (PPV) here today.
Whether or not an endemic will be declared, he stressed, would depend on the situation of the entirety of Malaysia and the decision would be made by the National Security Council (MKN).
Among those who were also present at Majma Hall were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) advisor Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian. — DayakDaily
