KUCHING: Parents in Sarawak can bring their children to get Covid-19 jabs at three vaccination centres (PPV) on a walk-in basis starting Saturday (March 5).

       State health deputy director Dr Rosemawati Ariffin said the PPVs involved were the Sibu Civic Centre, Kota Samarahan health clinic and Bintulu health clinic.

       "This is in line with the strategy to widen the vaccination coverage. Parents are encouraged to call the PPVs first before going with their children," she said in a statement.

       Dr Rosemawati said 150,927, or 52.8%, of children in Sarawak had been given the vaccine as of March 3 since the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) kicked off in the state on Feb 3.

       She said Sarawak was implementing the programme using a school-based approach, targeting children in schools, kindergartens and childcare centres, while widening walk-in vaccinations at PPVs in stages.

       "To date, the implementation of PICKids in schools is very encouraging.

       "A total of 46,475 or 25%, of 185,900 children who did not register in MySejahtera were given the vaccine in schools and 906, or 70.8%, out of 1,279 schools have been visited for PICKids," she said.

       Dr Rosemawati added that the state's target was to visit every school by the end of the second week in March.

       She also said outreach PPVs would continue to be run by health personnel from the Health Ministry and private medical practitioners to vaccinate children in rural and remote areas.