KOTA BARU (Bernama): The Covid-19 vaccines for teenagers can be extended to states that have achieved the herd immunity, says Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.

       The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister said the focus now was to ensure that all the adult population in the country had completed vaccinations under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

       "Our stance at JKJAV (Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply) is that the injection for teenagers will be done after we are done with the national programme, where we need to achieve herd immunity among the adult population.

       "But there are certain states where we can expedite it because there is a need," he told reporters after a working visit to Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) Pengkalan Chepa here Saturday (Sept 11).

       Also present was his deputy, Datuk Ahmad Amzad Hashim.

       Dr Adham said the decision to use the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for teenagers was made based on safe, effective and quality clinical data.

       "We focus on teenagers starting with those aged 16 and 17 years old and those with comorbidities," he said.

       Asked on booster doses of the vaccines, Dr Adham said the matter was being looked into by him and Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who is co-chairman of JKJAV.

       On the country developing its own vaccine, he said the ministry was preparing a "route map" and gathering local and foreign scientists for the purpose. - Bernama