PUTRAJAYA SEPT.20: The Ministry of Health (MOH) is very concern over the deaths of 67 children as of 19th Sept.2021 compared to six deaths in 2020 and as such the ministry is targeting to vaccinate children aged 12 to 17 years in preparation for the safe opening of the school.
Director General of Health, Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah said, this effort is to ensure that the risk of infection in schools can be reduced and in turn prevent the occurrence of cases and clusters among school children.
“In line with the COVID-19 National Adolescent Immunization Programme (PICK) MOH aims to have 60 per cent of adolescent children aged 12 to 17 years receive at least one dose of vaccine by November 2021; and 80 per cent of those eligible to be vaccinated get the full dose before school opens in the 2022 session, Dr. Noor Hisham said in a statement here today.
Dr. Noor Hisham added, the Drug Control Authority (DCA) has given conditional approval to all adolescent children who have reached the age of 12 years and above to be vaccinated.
“Accordingly, parents and guardians are advised to register their eligible children through their respective educational institutions and through the MySejahtera application at an immediate rate.
“Meanwhile educational, protective, rehabilitation and detention institutions are required to register their respective institutions through the vaksinanakku.herokuapp.com portal to enable vaccination scheduling to be made for children in their respective institutions by the District Health Office. For children outside the institution, vaccination registration in the MySejahtera application is required,” Dr. Noor Hisham said.
The Director General of Health also stressed, like other drugs, the COVID-19 vaccine also has side effects that are usually mild and recover in a short time (self-limiting).
However Dr. Noor Hisham said, MOH would like to emphasize that the benefits of taking the COVID-19 vaccine are far more beneficial than the harms caused by the COVID-19 infection.
“Some of the things to look out for in children after getting a COVID-19 vaccine injection includes a) Possible pain and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, chills, and fever; b) Inflammation of the heart (myocarditis ) and pleurisy (pericarditis) are very rare effects where; It usually occurs after receiving a second dose; It usually occurs a few days after vaccination; More common in boys.
“However, the risk of these myocarditis and pericarditis is lower than the risk of heart inflammation caused by COVID-19 infection with 37 times higher,” Dr. Noor Hisham reiterated.
Dr. Noor Hisham also emphasized that parents should monitor for early symptoms such as chest pain, difficulty in breathing, and rapid heartbeat after a child receives the vaccine to immediately seek health assessment and treatment; and supervision should be done so that children do not engage in strenuous activities within a week after vaccination.
He said if parents and guardians have any questions about the COVID-19 vaccine programme, it is advisable to seek advice from a pediatrician or a qualified medical officer for more information.
“To ensure the successful implementation of this Youth PICK, MOH also seeks cooperation from various parties, especially the Ministry of Education Malaysia (KPM), Ministry of Defence Malaysia (ATM), Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) , Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM)), The Malaysian Prisons Department, the Social Welfare Department (JKM), and the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) in launching the COVID-19 vaccine administration process in institutions and populations under their care,” Dr. Noor Hisham said. –Malaysia World News.
