SUNGAI BESAR: The Education Ministry (MoE) will give priority to teachers in high-risk groups for the Covid-19 vaccine if a request for their inclusion in the first phase of the national vaccination programme, starting Wednesday, is approved.
Deputy Education Minister 1 Muslimin Yahaya said the MoE is in discussions with the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) for teachers to also be given the vaccine in the first phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, seeing that schools will be opening next month.
"If the request is approved, the ministry will give priority to high-risk teachers to get the vaccine," he told reporters after conducting a survey on the first day of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination at Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan (SMJK) Yoke Kuan, Sekinchan here, today.
Earlier, Mosti Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said they have received many applications from certain groups, including educators who want to be among the first phase recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine.
He said the application is seen as reasonable, as schools would reopen in March.
However, Khairy, who is also the Coordinating Minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, said they are facing constraints, as the supply of vaccines for the first phase is only about one million doses – a portion of which has been earmarked for some 500,000 medical and non-medical frontliners.
Therefore, Khairy has requested that the MoE lists the high-risk teachers so that they can receive the vaccine ahead of schools opening in March. – BERNAMA