SERI ISKANDAR, Aug 14 — Students, especially those between the ages of 12 and 17 must be vaccinated before the reopening of schools, scheduled on September 1, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun.

She said the move was urgently needed because children and teenagers were also at risk of getting infected by the coronavirus.

"Students are not immune from the disease. I hope once the adults are fully vaccinated, children especially between the ages of 12 and 17 will be vaccinated.

"We must remember that children in this age group are school-going individuals. I truly hope they will be given the vaccine with the cooperation of the Education Ministry before or when schools reopen,” she said after visiting the Rumah Seri Kenangan Seri Iskandar, about 45 kilometres from Ipoh today.

Yesterday, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah announced that children and teenagers, aged between 12 and 17, will be vaccinated beginning September 15.

Meanwhile, Rina said she hoped that women who are between 14 and 33 weeks pregnant be given priority to be vaccinated at all vaccination centres (PPV).

"I understand that almost 60 per cent of the 150,000 pregnant women have registered for the vaccination,” she said.

On today’s programme, she said that the ministry had donated RM494,400 to a non-governmental organisation, Pertubuhan Restu Amal Jasa Malaysia in ensuring that the implementation of the alternative service delivery (ASD) through a pilot project on elderly care at Rumah Seri Kenangan Seri Iskandar is realised.

She said the programme was a strategic cooperation between the government and non-governmental organisations with a special focus on creating and sharing good practises to improve the effectiveness of services involving senior citizens.

"Under the project, the government will provide the facilities while staffing, preparation of modules, care, daily operations, development of human capital are managed by the NGO,” she said.

She also hoped that the six-month programme, beginning September, would improve the quality and services offered to the 103 senior citizens at the home. — Bernama