JOHOR BARU: A total of 563 teachers in Johor are still refusing the Covid-19 vaccine with a majority of them citing health issues as the main concern.

       State education, information, heritage and culture committee chairman Mazlan Bujang said some teachers, who are pregnant, are worried the vaccine will affect their babies.

       Others, he added, had existing health conditions.

       “Many of the pregnant teachers have expressed concern. We will not force them.

       “They also told us that they are not against getting vaccinated but will get their jabs after giving birth,” he said after attending the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for students at SMK Taman Daya here on Monday (Sept 20).

       In August, Mazlan told the state assembly that 779 teachers refused to be vaccinated.

       This caught the attention of Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan ？brahim, who met with the teachers virtually over the matter.

       Mazlan thanked Tunku Ismail for his concern and effort to reassure the teachers, which led some of them to change their minds about getting vaccinated.

       “There are still some 200 teachers who have rejected the vaccine without any health reasons.

       “We will leave it to the Education Ministry to take the appropriate action as we have no authority to do so.

       “What we can do now is to use a soft and friendly approach to convince them,” he said, adding that they made up only a small percentage of the total of some 48,000 teachers in Johor.