KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 – Malaysia is expected to receive delivery tomorrow of the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for children aged under 12 years, Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali announced today.
The deputy health minister, who is in charge of the paediatric Covid-19 inoculation programme (PICKids), said with the arrival of the special 10mcg formulation of the mNRA vaccine for children aged five to below 12, PICKids will be launched on February 3.
“As a start, administration of the Pfizer vaccine for children will begin in the Klang Valley at hospitals for children with underlying health conditions, whereas children without medical issues can get their vaccines at integrated vaccination centres (PPVs),” Dr Noor Azmi said in a statement.
As of today, 484,639 children aged five to under 12 years have been registered on the MySejahtera app.
Dr Noor Azmi said parents living in the Klang Valley can start booking Covid-19 vaccination appointments for their under-12 children on MySejahtera by choosing the date and location of the jabs.
They need to update the MySejahtera app and register their children as dependents. Parents living in the Klang Valley will receive a link to book vaccination appointments.
The paediatric vaccination programme will be expanded to other states in due time.
Dr Noor Azmi said the Covid-19 inoculation drive for under-12 children will also be expanded to schools through collaboration with the Education Ministry.
“Other methods of vaccine administration have also been identified, such as offsite PPVs, private clinics, public health clinics, and outreach programmes.”
He added that the Ministry of Health (MOH) has also begun working with other stakeholders like the Social Welfare Department, the National Integration and Unity Department, the Community Development Department, and associations and societies to ensure that all children have access to Covid-19 vaccination.
The College of Paediatrics under the Academy Medicine of Malaysia recently expressed support for the paediatric Covid-19 vaccination programme, noting that children infected with the Omicron variant have a 20 per cent higher risk of hospitalisation than with Delta.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin warned Malaysians that the Omicron wave has begun in the country, as 5,439 new Covid-19 cases were reported today. Malaysia reported a seven-day average of 3,972 new infections yesterday, a 27 per cent increase over the past week.
