Selected PPVs To Offer Sinovac’s CoronaVac Shots For Children Starting Tomorrow

Sinovac-produced CoronaVac shots will be offered to children aged five to 11 at selected PPVs starting 7 March, deputy health minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali announced earlier today. The addition of the vaccine was decided by the ministry as an alternative for parents who are reluctant to allow their children to receive the mRNA-based Comirnaty shot by Pfizer-BioNTech. The CoronaVac, meanwhile, is a non-mRNA and protein-based vaccine that was recently approved by the government on 3 March.

“The CoronaVac vaccine can only be given to children who have reached the age of five,” he stated. ” To obtain complete vaccination status, two doses of CoronaVac vaccine with an interval of four weeks must be given to children aged five to 11.”

Dr Noor Azmi said that PPVs operated by the ministry of health (MOH) and PHCorp under the National Children’s COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICKids) will distribute CoronoVac at no charge. Alternatively, he also noted that private clinics and hospitals also offer the vaccine to children aged five to 11, but for a fee.

Parents who register their children in the MySejahtera mobile app will receive a link to book vaccination appointments, he added. Furthermore, parents could check the operating hours and list of PPVs that offer CoronaVac on a walk-in basis on the MOH and PHCorp websites, and also seek further clarification on queries from health staff at the locations.

(Source: Bernama)