KUALA LUMPUR: Children need to be vaccinated under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) before the country enters the transition to endemic phase starting April 1.Deputy Health Minister, Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said this was to ensure children aged five to 12 were protected from the complications of Covid-19.

       He said that although there was a 160% rise in the number of Covid-19 hospital admissions among children this year, there are still parents who think that during the transition phase, children in that age group will no longer need to be vaccinated.

       “Parents are urged to register their children as dependents in the MySejahtera app to get a vaccination appointment, or they can walk-in to a designated vaccination centre (PPV).

       “Vaccinate your children because the benefits outweigh the risks,” he said in a statement.

       Noor Azmi said parents who bring their children to the PPV on a working day will be given time slips as proof that they brought their children in to be vaccinated.

       As of Monday, a total of 1,315,497 children aged five to 11, or 37.1% of the child population in Malaysia, received their first dose of the vaccine under PICKids. — Bernama