GEORGE TOWN: Some three million teenagers below 18 years old will be fully vaccinated before the new school term starts in January 2022, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

       “That will be our KPI (key performance indicator), to have all of the teenagers under 18 vaccinated by that time,” he said during a joint press conference with Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow at Komtar here yesterday.

       Khairy said for the time being, several states would commence the vaccination programme for teenagers before it is implemented simultaneously to ensure that all three million teenagers in the country are vaccinated by January.

       As for Penang, Khairy said some 130,000 students would be among the first in the country to be included in the vaccination programme for teenagers over the next fortnight.

       “Most of the programmes will be done in schools where they will be called up by their schools to receive the jabs,” he said, adding that eligible teenagers will need to get the consent of their parents or guardians for the inoculation.

       When asked by reporters for his advice regarding children under the age of 12, Khairy said parents have to be responsible for them and must ensure that they practise health measures while in public areas.

       “If they bring their unvaccinated children out in the public, they must ensure that they wear proper protection such as face masks, and adhere to all standard operating procedures to avoid infection.

       “Although infection among children is not severe, there are also cases where children were infected and ended up in critical condition. So, parents must be responsible for their own children,” he added.

       Last week, Khairy said the country will start its vaccination programme for eligible teenagers, starting with Sarawak, which has reached its benchmark of 80% vaccinated adults.

       So far, the government has only approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Comirnaty, for those aged between 12 and 17.