COVID-19 Vaccine: School-going teens now told not to walk-in, schools to provide vaccination schedule

Despite the earlier announcement that teens can walk-in to get their COVID-19 vaccine jab at 156 vaccination centres (PPV) nationwide starting today, Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali is now urging parents not to rush their children to their nearest PPV. Parents and guardians of school-going teens will be informed by their respective schools on the actual vaccine schedule.

During yesterday’s press conference, Dr Noor Azmi told parents “Don’t worry, don’t rush” and the last thing he wants is parents and teens getting turned down which is an unpleasant experience. He assured the public that 3.2 million teens will be getting their vaccinations by the end of this year.

Who can walk-in?

According to the latest guidelines from the Ministry of Health, walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations are only applicable for teens in public or private institutions of higher learning as well as teenagers who are not attending schools. Parents of 12 to 17-year old teens who are not currently enrolled in school may bring their child to one of the nearest 156 PPVs. At the time of writing, the Ministry of Health has yet to share the list of PPVs for teenage vaccination.

All remaining teens told to wait for appointment or schedule

Teens in boarding, special education schools and day boarding schools will get their appointment via MySejahtera. To get an appointment, they can register themselves via MySejahera or register as a dependent via their parent’s and guardian’s MySejahtera account.

Meanwhile, students who are currently enrolled in day schools, special education day schools and international schools will be getting a schedule from their respective schools. The school authority will inform their parents, and teens who have received a schedule can only get vaccinated at the designated PPVs. If the teenager is unable to make it for the scheduled date, they are urged to inform the school so that a new appointment will be sent via MySejahtera.

Teens must be accompanied by one parent or guardian. Parents and guardians who have signed the consent form but couldn’t accompany their child are required to issue a Letter of Representation for a substitute adult that will accompany the child.

More than 500,000 teens have received one dose

As of yesterday, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has shared that over half a million teens have already received their COVID-19 vaccine jab. Sabah currently is leading with 56% of teens registered in schools have received their first dose. The COVIDNow dashboard has also been updated to reflect the progress of teenage vaccination.

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