Liu Thian Leong
KUCHING (Aug 12): The Education Ministry (MOE) should reconsider the decision to reopen schools on Sept 1 in view of the growing number of children found to be positive for Covid-19, said Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) Batu Kitang branch chairman Liu Thian Leong.
He said until a plan is put in place to vaccinate those aged under 18 years in the country, it would be too much of a risk for the estimated 2.9 million primary and 2.35 million secondary students to return to school next month.
“To most parents, these 5.25 million students are like an army going to the battlefield without any shields and weapons. They are all totally unvaccinated and therefore vulnerable to the coronavirus, especially the more transmissible and more deadly Delta variant.
“Most parents are worried that their children would be subjected to the risk of becoming infected with Covid-19,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Liu said with the country not having rolled out any immunisation plan for children thus far, the reopening of schools would put the lives and safety of students at great peril.
He also cited statistics released by the American Academy of Paediatrics which showed that as of May this year, children accounted for 22 per cent of all new Covid-19 cases in the United States, compared to only three per cent of the total number of cases last year.
In a Facebook post Tuesday night, Sarawak Disaster Management Committee advisor Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian said the state government has asked the Sarawak Covid-19 Advisory Group (SCoVAG) to evaluate whether children under the age of 18 can be given a Covid-19 vaccine.
Dr Sim said this was in view of the 31 per cent or 260 out of the 836 positive cases reported on Tuesday in Sarawak who were below 18 years old.