AstraZeneca Round 2 for all adults: Everything you need to know

[ UPDATE 26/06/2021 14:05 ]: AstraZeneca Round 2 is officially closed before 1.30pm today. More details here.

[ UPDATE 26/05/2021 12:05 ]: JKJAV has updated that the online booking page will be available at 12.15pm.

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Round 2 of the AstraZeneca opt-in vaccination program will be available for booking to all adults in 5 states today (26th May) at 12pm. If you’re wondering how to book and have concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine, here’s what you need to know.

Who is eligible?

AstraZeneca Round 2 is open to all residents in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Penang and Sarawak. Both citizens and non-citizens can sign up for AstraZeneca and it is also offered for free. The vaccination slots are offered from 7th June until 27th July 2021 on a first-come-first-served basis.

Initially, it was limited to senior citizens aged 60 years old and above when bookings were made available starting last Sunday. Now it is open to all adults aged 18 years old and above from today at 12pm.

Before you can opt-in for AstraZeneca, you must first be registered under the National Immunisation Program. If you’ve already signed up to be vaccinated via MySejahtera or vaksincovid.gov.my, you’re good to go.

How many doses are available?

For Round 2, there are over 1.2 million doses up for grabs. This is significantly more than Round 1 which offered 260,000 doses. During yesterday’s press conference, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Khairy revealed that 228,347 slots have been taken up by senior citizens so far, which means there are approximately 1 million doses remaining.

List of AstraZeneca vaccination centres

For Round 2, there are a total of 8 vaccination centres located in the Klang Valley, Johor, Penang, Miri and Kuching. Here’s the full list:

• Setia SPICE Convention Centre, Pulau Pinang
• Persada Johor International Convention Center, Johor Bahru
• Borneo Convention Center Kuching, Sarawak
• Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara Miri, Sarawak
• World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur
• Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur
• Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor
• Ideal Convention Centre, Shah Alam, Selangor

At the moment, WTC in KL (also known as PWTC) is the largest vaccination centre in the country and has a capacity of administering over 8,000 doses per day. The IDCC in Shah Alam is the second-largest centre capable of doing 3,000 doses per day.

How to book your slot?

At 12.00pm, bookings will be available on vaksincovid.gov.my and make sure you book your slot from the dedicated AstraZeneca page by clicking on the banner on top.

You’ll need to fill up either your passport or IC number, followed by your date of birth, MySejahtera ID (if applicable) and mobile number. After that, you can choose your booking slot as pictured below. You can only choose the location and date, and you’ll be notified on the actual appointment time later.

Next, tick the “I’m not a robot” Google Recaptcha feature and hit submit. Once you see the Thank You page, you’re done. The appointment details should reflect in MySejahtera in the next couple of days.

Please remember to confirm your appointment within 48 hours after getting the notification via MySejahtera. If you can’t attend for any reason, please call 1-800-888-828 to cancel the appointment, so that the JKJAV can contact others on the waiting list.

Like any “flash-sale” type of online event, expect some hiccups when the booking starts due to high traffic. Don’t give up and keep trying until you get your slot.

Here’s the full step by step guide:

How do I know if I’m getting the right dose?

Following concerns of underdosing, vaccinators are now required to show the syringe filled with the required amount to the person receiving the vaccine.

The AstraZeneca vaccine requires a dose of 0.5ml per jab and here’s how to read the measurement on a low dead-volume syringe:

What are the potential side effects?

After receiving the AstraZeneca jab, the common side effects include fever, headache, fatigue, chills (shivering), joint pain, muscle ache, nausea and diarrhea. You are encouraged to report your side effects in the MySejahtera app. These symptoms typically go away after two days. However, if you experienced prolonged and more severe symptoms, you must seek medical attention immediately.

When do you get your second dose?

Malaysia is adopting a 12-week interval for the AstraZeneca vaccine. This means you will only receive your 2nd dose 12-weeks after getting your first jab.

The approach is within WHO’s recommended interval (8 to 12 weeks) and it is also being practised in Australia, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands and Portugal. According to studies, delaying the 2nd jab to 12 weeks offers a higher efficacy rate of 82.4%.

Can Round 1 waiting list individuals book their slots in Round 2?

If you have previously registered under the waiting list for AstraZeneca Round 1, you will receive an appointment automatically under Round 2 and there’s no need for you to book. However, if you prefer to choose your own date and location, the JKJAV has tweeted that you are free to do so again on the website starting from 12.00pm today.

Is AstraZeneca safe?

All vaccines that are currently used in the National Immunisation Program including the AstraZeneca have been approved by the NPRA for their safety and efficacy. On concerns of blood clots, health regulators have found the cases are rare. The benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risk as it has been proven to prevent hospitalisation and deaths due to COVID-19.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has found that the risk of blood clots is approximately 1 in 100,000 people which is 0.001%. The risk is even lower for older age groups with a probability of 4 in 1,000,000 (0.0004%) for people aged 80 years and above. For people aged 40-49 years old, the risk is 2.1 in 100,000 which is 0.0021%.

Is it suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers?

According to the latest guidelines provided by the JKJAV, the AstraZeneca vaccine is suitable for breastfeeding mothers. However, it is presently not recommended for pregnant mothers due to limited data.

At the moment, Pfizer is the only vaccine recommended for pregnant mothers between 14-33 weeks of pregnancy. Khairy has recently revealed that the MySejahtera app would soon be updated to identify pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.