MOH’s current policy that only recognises those under the age of 12 as children must change, as children and adolescents must be seen in appropriate child-friendly health facilities.
Parents staying in the Klang Valley must update MySejahtera and register their children aged 5 to under 12 years as dependents, before receiving a link to book Covid vaccination for their kids.
The College of Paediatrics, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia, says children infected with Omicron have a 20% higher risk of hospitalisation than with Delta.
Compared with adults and adolescents, 5-to-11-year-olds reported higher incidence of injection-site redness and swelling, but generally fewer side effects like fever and chills; no myocarditis or pericarditis was observed.
The MOH also aims to push the booster dose rate for the elderly to at least 80 per cent within the next month by prioritising states with an elderly booster coverage of less than 50 per cent such as Pahang, Terengganu, Perlis, Kelantan, and Sabah.
MOH attributed the decline of 178,167 Covid-19 cases among children and adolescents Oct 11-Dec 13, compared to the previous 64 days during MCO, to high vaccine coverage of those aged 12 and older.
Amirudin Shari also announced an allocation of RM200,000 under the state’s 2022 budget for eye screening of schoolchildren in Selangor after a year of virtual learning.