[UPDATED] PICKids: Covid-19 jab programme for children aged 5 to 12 to start in Feb

KUALA LUMPUR – Parents and guardians can expect the Covid-19 immunisation programme, dubbed PICKids, to start next month.

According to the Health Ministry, children aged five to 12 will be given paediatric doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty, which has been approved by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency.

“Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty paediatric dose is currently the only approved vaccine for this age group, which has been proven to be safe and effective.”

“Children with comorbidities and are at high-risk for severe Covid-19 disease will be prioritised.”

Those who are not eligible are children with a history of severe allergies or experience anaphylaxis against medicines, food, unknown ingredients, and any allergic reaction against ingredients in the Covid-19 vaccines.

The ministry reiterated that the paediatric dose is one-third the dosage given to adolescents.

On Tuesday, it was announced that parents and guardians can now register their children for Covid-19 vaccinations via the MySejahtera app, especially if they are listed as dependents.

The availability of registrations was highlighted on Twitter by a Health Ministry social media and communications consultant, Aysha Ridzuan.

“Covid-19 vaccination for 5-11 years old will begin soon. If your children are your dependents on MySejahtera, you can add them as vaccine dependents to register for the vaccine,” she said in the post.

Parents are only required to provide the children’s full names as well as their IC or passport numbers, apart from confirming that they are above the age of five in a checkbox.

Last week, the Health Ministry gave conditional approval to inoculate children between five and 11 with Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the decision was made following a meeting held by the Drug Control Authority.

He added that this group of children will be given 10mcg, which is a smaller dose compared with the same vaccine given to those aged 12 and above.

He said the 30mcg of Comirnaty solution for injection is a new formulation that does not require dilution before it is given to those aged 12 and above. – The Vibes, January 20, 2022