KUCHING, Feb 10 — A total of 18,301 children aged five to 11 years, or 4.1 per cent of the group in Sarawak, have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of yesterday .
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said, 40 per cent of the country’s children population who had received their first COVID-19 dose were from the state.
“This serves as an encouragement and stimulus to other states to follow in Sarawak’s footsteps. We should emulate Sarawak as the people involved are serious, diligent and focused on the vaccination programme,” he said after visiting the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) vaccination centre at Batu Kawa Health Clinic today.
Dr Noor Azmi said PICKids in Sarawak kicked off on Feb 3 where 286,000 children or 10.1 per cent of the state’s total population would be involved.
According to him, the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) has targeted 70 per cent of children in the education system to receive the COVID-19 first dose within two months of its implementation.
“Currently, two million students are in school… so this will simplify the vaccination process as the vaccines can be administered in schools.
Dr Noor Azmi said although the effects of COVID-19 infection on children were not serious, the government was still concerned and urged parents to register their children on the MySejahtera application to get their vaccination.
“Children who have not received their appointment for vaccination at the PPVs, would get their vaccine in school,” he said adding that the move was to enable us to move into the endemic phase and it was important for children to be vaccinated too.
