KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) undergraduates who have yet to be vaccinated against Covid-19 have been reminded to get it done as soon as possible while the institution prepares to receive them back in the new semester.

       UMS vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Taufiq Yap Yun Hin said in an online session with the new intake during orientation week 2021/22 that to date, 95% of the university's staff have been inoculated, along with over 80% of the students.

       "At present, the university is enforcing the fully vaccinated (double dose) regulation to enter the campus and conduct dealings on the premises.

       "This is in line with the Federal Government announcement on higher learning institutions (having) to ensure a safe and secure environment for all.

       "We hope the immunisation programme will allow us to transition into an endemic phase soon and start to adapt to living with the virus," he said in his speech.

       This year, UMS has received 4,469 undergraduates, 2,692 of whom are Sabahans, he added.

       "Meanwhile, 1,695 are from the peninsula and Sarawak, while 35 are international students from China, India, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates," he said, adding that there are also 10 students with disabilities in the new intake.