Teachers with comorbidities included in first phase of immunisation

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has assured teachers yesterday that they would be included in the first phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme ahead of schools reopening in March, with those exhibiting comorbidity amongst the priority recipients of the vaccine.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he would raise the matter during the next Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine

Supply Access Guarantee (JKJAV) scheduled for next week following discussions with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba and Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah earlier yesterday.

“The short answer is yes. We will try to accommodate teachers and yes, we will try to accommodate some of the frontline media, subject to availability and supply but also based on risk assessment as we can’t do for all teachers at once.

“I will ask the Ministry of Education to give me a list of teachers with comorbidities as the first priority ahead of schools opening in March.

“I think that is a fair request from them,” he said during a press conference.

Comorbidities are the presence of two or more diseases in the same person such as kidney disease, heart disease, obesity and hypertension that puts them at an increased risk of severe illness.

Khairy also disclosed that his ministry has been receiving numerous requests from many groups to be included in the first phase of the vaccination programme, with those from the teaching profession expressing a reasonable enough request for consideration.

He stressed that the government was facing constraints due to insufficient supplies meant for distribution in the first phase as around 500,000 frontliners from the health and non-health sectors have been registered.