KUALA NERUS (Bernama): His longing for congregational prayers at the mosque has finally driven 101-year-old Che Ismail Che Tahir to agree 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.

       Mohd Jailani said his grandfather had received the appointment for vaccination during the first phase for senior citizens but was not ready for it at the time due to the 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 post 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 on Wednesday (Aug 25).

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

       Meanwhile, director of the UniSZa Integrated PPV, Prof Dr Nik Arif Nik Mohamed said 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 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 the increase in vaccine recipients and we also ensure that they comply with the standard operating procedures set by the government," he added.- Bernama