Inoculation for kids aged 5 to 12 to start in Feb: KL

KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia's Covid-19 vaccination programme for children aged five to 12 will begin on Feb 3, said the Health Ministry.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said parents can book appointment slots via the MySejahtera contact tracing app beginning on Jan 31 and the process will be done in phases starting with the Klang Valley.

Mr Khairy said the programme will utilise a special vaccine formulation for children, which is by Pfizer, and it will be a two-dose regime with an eight-week interval. Each dose will be 0.2ml and contains 10 micrograms of the mRNA vaccine, which is one-third of what is given to adults.

"Based on current data, the eight-week interval will produce a stronger immunity response and has higher efficiency. The interval is able to reduce the risk of myocarditis and this is recommended by world health bodies including the United States, Canada and Australia," said Mr Khairy at a press conference held at Parliament on Thursday.

He said the vaccination programme for children will be officially launched on Feb 3 at Hospital Tunku Azizah in Kuala Lumpur.

The vaccine programme will prioritise children with underlying conditions such as chronic respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, he said.

"This is because this group of children is more at risk of getting severe Covid-19, including being put in intensive care units," he added.

"In terms of supply, it is adequate. But we will not make vaccines for children mandatory. Our approach will be more of education where we convince parents to see the benefits of vaccination for children."

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK