Registration for Covid-19 vaccine waiting list opens next week

 

Private healthcare facilities will open registrations from Monday next week for people who want to be on a waiting list to receive booster shots sooner.

People who have yet to complete their primary vaccination can also sign up once registration opens, said the Covid-19 Immunisation Taskforce - Booster (CITF-B) in a statement today.

In the event there is a no-show to a vaccine appointment at the facility, healthcare workers at the facility will contact successful registrants to come and receive the vaccine instead.

“CITF-B believes this approach will make things easier and encourage eligible individuals to volunteer and receive their booster shot early without waiting much longer.

“Those who successfully registered will be placed on a waiting list and will be contacted by the private healthcare practitioner concerned if an appointment is cancelled or there is a no-show by those who received an appointment through MySejahtera.

“This approach helps the government ensure vaccines are not wasted and used optimally,” CITF-B said in a statement today.

It said the matter was decided at a meeting chaired by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today. He previously said 40 percent of people given booster shot appointments did not turn up and warned Covid-19 hospitalisations will increase if the trend persists.

Those who can register to be on the waiting list are:

• Individuals eligible for booster shots
• Individuals who wish to get their injections earlier before their appointment is due
• Individuals who have yet to receive their first or second Covid-19 vaccine doses
• Individuals who have missed a previous vaccine appointment
• Adolescents between 12 to 17 years who have yet to complete the vaccination

However, it emphasised that booster shots are currently prioritised for certain groups, namely:

• Frontliners in health, security, and defence sectors
• Individuals aged 40 years and above
• Individuals aged 18 years and above with comorbidities
• Workers and residents and long-term care facilities
• Pregnant women
• People who require the shots for overseas travel

Currently, the government is rolling out booster shots by providing appointments through the MySejahtera app to eligible persons, though those with poor internet access or literacy are also being contacted by other means such as phone or SMS.

The booster shots are to be administered six months after an individual has completed his vaccination.

This is except for recipients of the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines who become eligible after only three months after the second dose, in light of the World Health Organization’s recommendations in October based on studies in Chile, and the Health Ministry's own findings that protection from the Sinovac vaccine wanes rapidly.

CITF-B said those interested to be on the waiting list can register at private healthcare facilities participating in the Covid-19 vaccination program from Nov 22 onwards.

They may also contact the facilities by phone or email.

A list of the participating healthcare facilities will be available from ProtectHealth Corporation’s website when registration opens. ProtectHealth is a Health Ministry-owned entity that liaises the private sector’s involvement in the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme. - Mkini