PUTRAJAYA: Teenagers aged 12 to 17 can get their Covid-19 jabs via a scheduled walk-in process at 156 selected vaccination centres (PPV) nationwide from tomorrow.

       Schools will be issuing schedules on when students can get vaccinated at the selected PPVs, said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali, who is chairman of the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force for Adolescents (CITF-A).

       “CITF-A has identified 156 public and integrated PPVs nationwide that can help boost the capacity of the vaccination drive involving teenagers.

       “The PPVs that these teenagers can go to are those located nearest to their schools.

       “The walk-ins will be conducted according to a schedule set by the schools.

       “The schools will inform the students and parents involved (on where and when they can go for the walk-ins),” Dr Noor Azmi said in a statement.

       Teenagers who are not school-goers can walk into any of the 156 PPVs nearest to them, but they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

       “If the vaccine quota at a PPV they go to has run out for the day, they will be given an appointment at the same facility the next day, or at a nearby private health clinic,” said Dr Noor Azmi.

       University students who have not reached the age of 18 are also allowed to walk in at all PPVs that are still in operation.

       They need to provide identification to prove they are students of a higher learning institution, and they, too, must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

       This is because the parent or guardian has to sign consent forms in the presence of a doctor at the PPVs.

       Dr Noor Azmi said to avoid congestion at PPVs, teens should only be accompanied by one parent or guardian.

       The walk-in process is an alternative way for teenagers aged 12 to 17 to get their Covid-19 jabs, besides getting them at schools.

       Teenagers who have already received vaccination appointments at schools (via MySejahtera) must stick to their dates and are not allowed to join the walk-in process at PPVs, said Dr Noor Azmi.

       Boarding school students (both daily and full boarding) who are about to sit for major school exams will be given vaccination appointments.

       Their first dose will be either at a clinic or school located near them, while the second jab will be given at schools.

       The vaccination programme for teenagers is expected to involve 3.2 million adolescents aged 12 to 17.

       Up to Sept 20, more than 300,000 teens have received their first jabs since the programme kicked off in Sarawak on Sept 8.