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SINGAPORE – More than 80 percent of staff at educational institutions that have been invited to receive the Covid-19 vaccine have made appointments to do so, Education Minister Lawrence Wong said.
On March 10, nearly 50,000 letters were sent out in the first batch of invitations, encouraging educators to take their hits to reduce the risk of transmission in the community.
The response from the education sector has been very positive, said Mr. Wong, noting that some staff members have already struck their first blow.
“(I am) very happy to see them step forward, in the spirit of protecting not only themselves, but also their students and the school community,” Mr. Wong said in a Facebook post on Thursday (25th March).
The vaccination exercise for teachers comes as the Ministry of Health expands the national vaccination program to personnel offering essential and front-line services.
More than 150,000 teachers and other staff will be offered the Covid-19 vaccine, the Education Ministry had said earlier this month.
The exercise covers those who work in elementary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges and the Millennia Institute, as well as those in special education schools, the Institute of Technical Education and polytechnic schools.
Vaccination will also be extended to staff at preschool centers authorized by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and at all kindergartens registered by the Ministry of Education, as well as those at funded early intervention centers and programs. or registered by ECDA for children with developmental needs. six years or younger.
The vaccine will also be offered to staff of private schools registered with the Ministry of Education that have full-time students under 18 years of age, private educational institutions, including international schools, with full-time students under 18 years of age, and madrassas.
In his Facebook post, Mr. Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry working group on Covid-19 with Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, shared some anecdotes from educators who have been vaccinated or plan to do so.
One of them was Mr. Tan Fong Wei, who is Head of Subjects at Kranji High School.
Commenting on his experience receiving the jab, Mr. Tan said, “There was some numbness in the area where the jab came in, but I was still able to get on with my day.”
He advised those who were concerned that they could take the vaccine in their non-dominant arm.
Meridian Elementary School’s department director Han Zi Rui said she was motivated to get vaccinated to protect the children in her care.
“I chose to vaccinate my children, both my two little ones at home and my hundreds of children at school,” he said.
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