BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
Following government advice Florence Young Christian School (FYCS) has rolled out its second Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination for its Staff and students on Thursday March 24.
According to FYCS School Principal Mr Allan Kenikeremia, the school administration saw that the vaccination sites at other venues in Honiara town are quite risky for the students, staff and family members so they suggested for the vaccination to be carried out at the school compound.
He added that getting vaccinated at the school will also make it easy to control the spread of the virus through applying safe measures such as social distancing, hand sanitising and wearing of face masks.
“We see other vaccination sites in Honiara as being risky for our students and even for members of our families, so we agreed for this vaccination to happen at the school compound where it is easy to control and social distancing can be applied because other venues in town are not so safe. So that’s why we make this vaccination to come to school.
“On March 3, we started our first vaccination rollout. Vaccination going on now is the second rollout, a second dose of vaccination.
“The students, staff and family members of the school are very happy for us organising the vaccination roll out at the school,” Mr Kenikeremia said.
Another reason why they are carrying out the vaccination rollout at the school compound according to FYCS School Principal is that it enables them to have records and data of students who are fully vaccinated and those who are yet to get vaccinated.
“The other reason why we are having this is it enables us to get raw data for our students who are vaccinated. It’s good. So it’s very helpful, especially for the school admin to find how many are vaccinated here at school so that when the ministry of education requires, we can update them straight away, and, if we find out that the majority are vaccinated and the ministry asks us to start school then we can roll out classes straight away.
“From findings, most who are not vaccinated are the ones dying. So everyone must get vaccinated.
“To the parents and students who are not yet vaccinated, I encourage them that they must come and get vaccinated because the truth is many have died from this virus. So they must come forward and get vaccinated. Though the virus gets to us, having being vaccinated reduces the high risk of dying.” Mr Kenikeremia pointed out.
In the meantime, he revealed that from their raw data recorded currently, only 30 percent of the school are vaccinated.
“So far here at the school, around 30 percent of students are vaccinated, that is according to our data. Hopefully, if the data goes up now that we rolling out our second vaccination for the school then it will be okay. But then some of our students are still in the provinces, maybe they are getting vaccinated there, we do not know. But we are calling for those getting vaccinated from outside the school, the admin is collecting their data.
“Maybe if their data can be received then our number of students getting vaccinated can go higher.
“Our student data currently is more than 30 percent, for our school Teachers in the primary division, all of them have been vaccinated. At the Secondary level, as far as I know, only two have not been vaccinated yet at this moment as all have been vaccinated.
“For our auxiliary Staff, only one has not been vaccinated yet on which he will get his vaccination today.
“We do not want to put our students and parents visiting the school at risk, this is why all of us are advised to get vaccinated.
