CITF Approves Vaccine For Exam-Year Students; Kelantan Orang Asli To Get Single-Dose CanSino

Orang Asli and other communities living in rural Kelantan areas will soon be given the one-shot CanSino Biologics Covid-19 vaccine. Khairy Jamaluddin, National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister, said the total doses to be given will be announced once Putrajaya acquires them next month.

“The one-dose vaccine is important to facilitate the authorities in vaccinating residents in the interior including Orang Asli in Gua Musang, Kuala Krai and so on, as there is no need to enter the areas twice,” he said.

Dr. Noor Hisham, health director-general, announced on Tuesday that the Drug Control Authority (NPRA) had given conditional approval for the use of the CanSino and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines, both of which only require a single dose.

In other news, Khairy stated that students sitting for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) this year will be vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine starting next month.

He said that the vaccine shots will be administered at schools, where said premises would also act as vaccination centres (PPV). The Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) agreed to the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) proposal because of Pfizer’s recent approval by the NPRA for their vaccine to be used on children.

Pfizer’s approval followed the revelation that the National Immunisation Programme (PICK) will include children aged 12 and above in phase 5, which is due to start in August.

(Sources: Malay Mail [1][2] // Image: Reuters)

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