KUALA LUMPUR: The deadline for the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine for children aged five to under 12 has been extended to May 31.
Deputy health minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said the matter was decided in the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force for Children (CITF-C) meeting on May 10 after taking into account the closure of vaccination centres and the Hari Raya and Labour Day holidays.
“This extension will give parents a chance to reschedule their child’s vaccination appointments,” he said in a statement today.
The deadline was initially May 15.
Noor Azmi, however, said this was only applicable to those who registered before May 8 via the MySejahtera application and could not get the vaccination on the appointed date.
He added that parents who registered and made appointments before or on May 8 and chose the vaccination date before or on May 31 could proceed according to schedule.
“For parents who registered and made appointments before or on May 8, but opted for a vaccination date after May 31, the appointment on the MySejahtera app will be automatically cancelled. Meanwhile, for those who registered after May 8, the appointment link will not be given on the app.
“However, those parents will be able to walk in for appointments at government health clinics for the Covid-19 vaccination until May 31,” he added.
Noor Azmi said vaccination at these clinics would depend on the supply of vaccines and was based on a first-come first-served basis; if the supply for that day ran out, parents would need to come back the next day.
“After May 31, children in the PICKids age group will no longer be offered Covid-19 vaccine shots for free. Vaccination will instead be available for a fee at private facilities.
“Exceptions will be made for those who are forced to cancel their appointments on or before May 31 due to Covid-19 infection,” he explained.
Noor Azmi said given the possible complications from Multiple Systemic Inflammation Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), parents were advised to get their children vaccinated at health clinics within six weeks of recovery, or by Aug 30.
“Today’s announcement does not apply to children who will turn five on or after May 15 or after May 31. Parents of children in this category can register and book an appointment for the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine through MySejahtera until Jan 15, 2023,” he said, adding that the deadline for the first dose of vaccine for these children was Jan 31, 2023. - FMT
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