GEORGE TOWN: Those who are slated to receive the vaccine under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) should come in small groups to avoid congestion at vaccination centres (PPV).

       A PPV spokesman at the Seberang Jaya Expo Site said primary school authorities should coordinate with the persons-in-charge at the PPV to prevent overcrowding.

       He said pupils from the same schools have been coming to the PPV collectively over the last few days.

       With better coordination, he said, the PPV could operate in a smoother manner without exposing pupils, as space constraints were challenging.

       “I hope the schools would coordinate with the person-in-charge at the PPV. Right now, pupils from the same primary schools and their parents have been told to come at the same time by school teachers.

       “Although we are now dispensing about 800 vaccines a day, which is about half the capacity for adults, their arrival all together has led to congestion at the PPV.

       “I hope teachers in charge of the pupils’ vaccination programme will coordinate with us on time scheduling before asking their pupils and parents to converge here all at once,” he said yesterday.

       Under PICKids, an estimated four million children aged between five and 11 are eligible to receive the mRNA vaccine, Comirnaty 10mcg Concentrate for Dispersion (Pfizer-BioNTech), which will be administered under the programme.

       Besides two public hospitals – Penang Hospital and Seberang Jaya Hospital – and the Seberang Jaya Expo Site in central Seberang Prai, the other PPV are located in Sungai Nibong Pesta Site and Dewan Sunshine Bayan Baru (south-west district), Sunshine Bertam (north Seberang Prai) and Dewan MPKK Bandar Cassia (south Seberang Prai).

       A total of 14 primary schools have also been turned into PPV under PICKids.

       Among those who received their jabs at the Seberang Jaya Expo Site yesterday were Aisyah Safiya Muhamad Ahnaf, six, and Umar Habib Muhammad Ahnaf, eight.

       Their mother Syaidatul Alwa Abdul Rashid, 34, said she decided to bring both children for the walk-in service in view of the rising Covid-19 cases in the state.

       “I am glad that they both got it after a 90-minute wait due to the large number of recipients at the centre.

       “The vaccination process went smoothly,” she said.

       At the Dewan MPKK Bandar Cassia, Bukit Tambun assemblyman Goh Choon Aik said the centre could administer 750 doses daily.

       “For those who have yet to receive their appointments through the MySejahtera, they can choose to walk into any PICKids PPV.

       “However, it is only applicable on weekdays,” he said.

       Penang health committee chairman Dr Norlela Ariffin said as of Saturday, a total of 40,000 children out of 160,000 in the state had registered for PICKids which started on Feb 7.