101-year-old agrees to take the jab – so he can pray at mosque

 

Che Ismail Che Tahir (in wheelchair) getting his details taken down by a volunteer before his vaccination at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. (Bernama pic)

KUALA NERUS: His longing for congregational prayers at a mosque did what all sorts of persuasion could not – 101-year-old Che Ismail Che Tahir finally agreed to getting vaccinated against Covid-19.

Che Ismail who lives in Kampung Gong Kijang here appeared at the integrated vaccine administering centre (PPV), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), accompanied by his grandson, Mohd Jailani Harun, 52, and two great grandchildren.

Jailani said his grandfather had received the appointment for vaccination during the first phase for senior citizens but was not willing to take the jab due to a lack of exposure to its importance.

“But we never gave up hope of persuading grandpa to get vaccinated in order to protect his health. We explained to him that after getting two doses of the vaccine, he would be able to join the congregational prayers at the mosque or surau.

“He finally agreed to get vaccinated and coincidentally, I saw a posting on Facebook two days ago that UniSZA is giving the opportunity to individuals who have not received the vaccine to come here for a walk-in vaccination. Alhamdulillah, everything has been made easier,” he said when met by reporters today.

Che Ismail was the oldest recipient of the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at this PPV today but he could not be interviewed due to his hearing problem.

Meanwhile, director of the UniSZa Integrated PPV, Dr Nik Arif Nik Mohamed said that besides senior citizens, priority for the walk-in vaccination was also given to pregnant women, the disabled and individuals who missed their appointment dates due to certain constraints.

“Since we opened two days ago, the response has been very encouraging. Hence, the UniSZA Integrated PPV also provides 20 tents, 400 chairs outside the hall and another 600 inside to accommodate the additional vaccine recipients.

“The 250 staff at the PPV work in two shifts – morning and afternoon. The number is still sufficient to cater to an increase in vaccine recipients. We also ensure that they comply with the standard operating procedures set by the government,” he added. - FMT