The Ministry of Health (MoH) has announced an extension to the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme For Children (PICKids) to the end of May. Previously, the ministry had set 15 May as the deadline for parents to get the shot for their kids in order to avoid wastage, as only a small percentage of the under-12 population have received their first dose.
The decision was made after the COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force for Children (CITF-C) committee wanted to take into account that vaccination centres were closed during the recent Hari Raya celebration and public holidays . However, even though the deadline for receiving the vaccine has been extended to 31 May, the CITF-C committee is still enforcing 8 May as the last date to register and book an appointment for the shot.
Additionally, parents who booked an appointment for after 31 May will have their appointment cancelled automatically but they are still allowed to bring their children into any Klinik Kesihatan until the end of the month.
Of course, children who have not yet turned five years old by the deadline will still be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and will have until 14 January 2023 to be registered. Those who had to miss their appointment due to a COVID-19 infection will also be allowed to walk in to get vaccinated at any Klinik Kesihatan within six weeks of recovery or by 30 August 2022 at the latest.
Once the deadline has passed, parents who want to inoculate their children in the future will have to take them to a private health facility and pay for the vaccine. As of 11 May, only 44.5% of children have received their first dose, a small increase from last month’s 38.6% despite the deadline being announced.
(Source: KKM/Facebook, COVIDNOW)
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