SIBU: Sibu Divisional Disaster Management Committee (SDDMC) coordinator Dr Annuar Rapaee said almost all 16- and 17-year-old teenagers in the district have received their Covid-19 vaccination.
Speaking during a livestream to provide an update on the Covid-19 situation in Sibu, he said the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) involving the said age group which was conducted on Sept 8 to 9 had shown a very good response.
Dr Annuar, who is the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing, said the number of students who rejected the vaccine was far less than the number of students who received the vaccine.
“Those who rejected the vaccine on the first day were only 3.3 percent or a total of 57 individuals compared to 83 percent or a total of 1,427 individuals who had received the vaccine.
“On the second day of the programme, the number of those who rejected the vaccine was 0.1 percent or only 15 individuals while those who were vaccinated were 95 percent or 1,563 individuals.
“However, those who rejected the vaccine have their own reasons,” explained the Assistant Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research.
Dr Annuar said that a total of 3,367 secondary school students aged 16 to 17 from 14 government and private schools in Sibu district took part in the programme.
On another matter, he said individuals with medical problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and asthma are at risk of being in Category 3, 4 and 5 if infected.
“Vaccination is important because it can help prevent Category 3 to 5 cases but we need to consider risk factors as well.
“Before PICK, we were worried that the cases would escalate to the point of locking down the Pasai and Sibu Jaya areas because the community had not been vaccinated at that time.
“But now that most people have completed their vaccine, cases are still on the rise due to the Delta variant. However, vaccination can prevent the risk of serious infections,” he said.
On Saturday, the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) reported that Sibu district recorded 420 new Covid-19 positive cases.
Of the total, 150 cases or 35.71 percent were in Category 1 while 270 cases or 64.29 percent were in Category 2.
