STU And Covid-19 Vaccination
‘It was only fair that they be among the first group to be vaccinated, in view of them spending a lot of face-to-face time with school-children.
For the teachers, said Adam, it would boost their morale and confidence at work…This would allay any fear and doubt about leaving their children at school’ quote…Sarawak Teachers Union (STU) president Adam Prakash Abdullah.
I have family members who are teachers and not one has been vaccinated at the time of writing. Fortunately for now, if you can call it that, they are all teaching online from home because schools in red zones have been ordered to close for 2 weeks starting yesterday, the 21st Apr 2021. One of the three said his name is on the waiting list but no date was given to him.
What are the issues here and why did the government failed to take cognizance of these issues and deal with it professionally before making the decision to reopen schools? I am not a health and medical professional so I will list down the issues and articulate on it as I see it.
Asymptomatic People
Asymptomatic peoples, no matter what you say about them being less likely to spread the Covid.19 virus, are spreading the virus undetected. Because they they are not identified and not isolated, they are moving around freely, spreading the virus.
I am convinced that the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Sarawak government and the SDMC fully realized this but for reasons best known to themselves, they are not doing anything seriously about it. As the government, with the federal and state treasury in their control and as employers of civil servants employed by the health ministry, they have all the resources and power to remove asymptomatic peoples off the ‘street’ and isolate them. It requires just one thing: mass / surge screening of 100% of the population of Sarawak.
Herd Immunity
By all accounts, herd immunity through vaccination will be achieved after 80% of the population has been immunized.
We are now in the 2nd phase of the national vaccination plan and this phase is due for completion in August 2021. Theoretically, the first phase, which is for front-liners is supposed to be completed by about now. By the way front-liners includes teachers.
As at the time of writing, not all teachers have been vaccinated and that includes teachers with morbidity. We also know from news report that the 2nd phase too have experienced hitches and so there is every likelihood that the second phase will not be completed by August 2021, as planned. The 3rd phase is due to begin in May 2021 and ends in Feb 2021. The middle of March 2022 therefore is date by which Malaysia is supposed to achieve herd immunity ( i.e 80% of the population vaccinated ), if all goes according to plan.
Do you reckon Malaysia will achieve it? You think about it and decide for yourself but that really is another matter.
Schools were ordered to reopen for face-to-face teaching and learning in March 2021. At that point in time, maybe less than 5% of the total teaching force in Sarawak schools have been vaccinated and of course, no student was vaccinated. Herd immunity therefore was and still is far in the horizon.
How does the MOH justified reopening the schools when the teachers are not all vaccinated yet and how does the Sarawak government agree to reopening schools and brazenly expose teachers and students in Sarawak?
What Of Teachers
First of all and as has been said earlier, the reopening of the schools forced teachers to go back to face-to-face teachings in unsafe environment. The numbers of schools ordered to close since March until now is proof of that.
Secondly, there may be parents who have decided it is not prudent to send their children back to school and have opted for online teaching and learning. Are teachers who are back in the classrooms also expected to teach online to cater for students whose parents have decided not to send them back to school yet? This to me is most unfair on the teachers.
Upsurge In Number Of Positive Cases And Increasing Fatalities
The last few days have seen a nationwide upsurge in positive cases and Sarawak has been the ‘national champion’ for at least 3 days. All things considered, we are not going to see a drastic decline in the daily statistics of victims of Covid-19 in Sarawak any time soon. In all probability, more schools will be closed before herd immunity is achieved and the ‘day’ is over. In part and a large part too, it is due to incompetence of the Sarawak government in their handling of this pandemic.
The Plea
To the Sarawak government and to the SDMC, please pay attention to the asymptomatic people who are walking around freely in Sarawak and unknowingly spreading the virus and deal with them.
We, the ordinary man on the streets and not privy to what Putrajaya is doing or experiencing, suspects that there are serious issues surrounding the ability of the Malaysian government to purchase enough doses of the Covid.19 vaccine in time to meet the targeted date line for achieving herd immunity. The prime minister himself and a minister in the prime minister have openly said Malaysia is experiencing financial difficulties. Can we trust that you have both the capability and the capacity to deal with this?
https://www.bernama.com/en/business/news.php?id=1953385
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