KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — A total of 450 teachers in national schools in Selangor have refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19, the Selangor Sultan said today.

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said he was made to understand that 268 teachers of national primary schools and 182 teachers of national secondary schools in Selangor have refused the Covid-19 vaccine.

"This can also put students of national primary schools and national secondary schools in Selangor in danger and this matter has to be given attention by the relevant parties,” he said in a statement today.

Earlier in his statement, the Selangor Sultan said he had received a detailed report from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) director regarding the status of Covid-19 vaccination among Quran and Fardu Ain (Kafa) or Islamic religious teachers, mosque and surau officials and jurunikah (or officials solemnising marriages) in Selangor under Jais’ administration.

The Selangor Sultan said that 326 Kafa teachers in Selangor have yet to receive the vaccine, while 95 Kafa teachers have refused it.

He noted that 59 mosque officials and nine jurunikah in Selangor have yet to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, while 11 other mosque officials and six jurunikah have refused it.

The Selangor Ruler expressed hope that Selangor’s Health Department will speed up the Covid-19 vaccination process for Kafa teachers, mosque officials and jurunikah in the state.

The Selangor Sultan then went on to remind those who reject the Covid-19 vaccine of the danger they pose to others, while also pointing out that these three categories of personnel may find themselves barred from current line of work.

"For this group that chooses to not want to be vaccinated, I am very sad as they will endanger themselves and the public. I worry if there are still Kafa teachers who are unvaccinated, it can cause harm to students,” the Selangor Sultan said.

The Selangor Sultan highlighted that Covid-19 vaccination would prevent those who are infected with the virus from experiencing severe symptoms and from dying, noting that those who are unvaccinated account for the majority of deaths attributed to Covid-19 in Selangor.

"I wish to remind Kafa teachers who are still stubborn, they face the possibility of not being allowed to continue their duties. The same goes for mosque officers and jurunikah who refuse to be vaccinated. They also face the same action,” the Selangor Ruler said.

The Selangor Sultan highlighted that medical experts have already confirmed that vaccination is the only way to tackle the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic for now, and that the government is also working to create herd immunity to reduce the risk of worse infections in the future.

The Selangor Sultan also pointed out that the state had already issued fatwa or religious edicts that Covid-19 vaccination is "diharuskan” or permissible, before going on to say that the public should not have doubts about receiving the vaccine.

He said issues regarding accepting the Covid-19 vaccine had also been mentioned multiple times in Friday sermons for Muslims and in his press statements.

The Selangor Sultan concluded by urging all those in Selangor to get vaccinated against Covid-19 for their own benefit and for the benefit of their community.

Johor had a similar situation too, with the Johor state government revealing on August 22 that 779 teachers in the state had refused or declined to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

This led to key Johor royals such as the Johor Sultan and the Johor crown prince stressing the importance of Covid-19 vaccination for such teachers.

The Johor crown prince later said that 396 of the 779 teachers were affected by vaccine hesitancy, while the remainder opted to delay their vaccine appointments due to health reasons, allergies or pregnancy, and some among them have also agreed to register for vaccination.