Nine in 10 graduating students have signed up for jab: Minister
Invitations for students in autonomous universities to go out from today
Almost nine in 10 students from graduating cohorts have signed up to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and half of them have received their first doses, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said yesterday.
About four in five polytechnic and first-year junior college students have registered for vaccination, as have five out of seven students from Primary 6 to Secondary 3.
Students in autonomous universities will be invited to sign up for their jabs from today, Mr Chan said.
Giving an update on the Covid-19 vaccination exercise for students, Mr Chan said in a Facebook post that the Ministry of Education (MOE) vaccination centre at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central began operations yesterday.
It is the first of four dedicated MOE vaccination centres to open, with the other three to open in the coming days.
Mr Chan said he spoke to parents and students and was very encouraged that students were keen to register themselves early.
"They told me they wanted to protect themselves, their families and friends. They also said it would provide them peace of mind in preparing for their year-end exams," Mr Chan said.
When The Straits Times visited ITE College Central yesterday, some students turned up for their appointments alone, while others were accompanied by their parents.
Anderson Serangoon Junior College student Edsel Lim, 18, said he had intended to get vaccinated ever since he heard students could sign up.
"It is just socially responsible to do so," he added.
Mr Chase Lim, 24, a student at Temasek Polytechnic, said he was about to start an internship and wanted to get the vaccine so he could work in the office safely.
He added that everyone he knew from his polytechnic had vaccination appointments.
Mr Chan said in his post that he was grateful for Singaporeans' understanding of the need to prioritise students in the national vaccination effort.
"We will continue reaching out to our students and families who need more help to register and get their vaccinations done," he added.
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