BETONG: Herd immunity in schools is very important to ensure that the opening of the school session next October can run smoothly.
Liaison Officer of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Saint Augustine Betong, Zuraidah Rasti @ Apandi pointed out that more Covid-19 cases were being reported in the state.
She said no one knew when and how the pandemic would end.
“Therefore, the vaccination of teenagers in Sarawak is a good move. It will create herd immunity in schools and provide a more secure environment to continue Teaching and Learning (PdPR) sessions,” she told Suara Sarawak yesterday.
The coordinator of the vaccination programme for Form Four and Form Five students at SMK Saint Augustine said that the vaccination of teenagers was well received by parents.
“They were even looking forward to it and wanted their children to be vaccinated as soon as possible.
“No one hesitated from getting the vaccine and alhamdulillah, last Friday, out of the 335 Saint Augustine Vocational School students who registered, 278 were present — 137 Form Five students and 148 Form Four students — while two Form Three students were 16 years old.
Zuraidah reminded her students that even after being vaccinated, they still needed to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) as Sarawak was about to enter the endemic phase.
A Form five student, Javeera Jasmine Johnny expressed her happiness after getting the first dose.
“It is important for the opening of the school session next October and I hope the vaccination of other friends will go smoothly.
“When the school reopens, teachers and students will feel more secure,” she explained, admitting that the numbness effect at the injection site was only temporary.
Meanwhile, another Form Five student, Kaddam Mathew also expressed his excitement.
“It took a long time to get the vaccine, but thankfully taking the first dose was quite a relief. I am not afraid because the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine used is safe and will protect me against the virus,” he said.
