KUALA LUMPUR – 2,622,306 or 83.3 percent of the adolescents have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, meanwhile, 2,197,961 or 69.8 percent have received their second dose of vaccine as of yesterday, said the Deputy Minister of Health I, Datuk Dr. Noor Azmi Ghazali.
He said, Melaka recorded the highest adolescent full vaccination rate with 88.6 percent, Perlis (87.8%), Penang (83.7%), Kedah (81%) and Terengganu (80.9%).
However, according to him, the Ministry of Health (MOH) found that some adolescents did not fulfil or attend their vaccination appointment as scheduled since last week.
“According to the projection, the second dose vaccination rate for adolescents should have reached 80 percent on 11 November.
“However, based on the observation and projection from the latest second dose appointment, the target can only be achieved by the end of November or early December,” he said.
According to Dr. Noor Azmi, unvaccinated individuals have higher risk of being infected by Covid-19 compared to fully vaccinated individuals. The situation would affect the reopening of schools and economic sector nationwide.
He also recommended that all parents and guardians to adhere to the vaccination appointment of their children to protect them from the virus.
“Parents who had to reschedule their second dose appointment may contact their school for new appointment date.
“Parents who cannot attend may send an adult representative to accompany their children during Covid-19 vaccination by filling up the Parents / Guardian proxy form obtained from their school.
“We understand that some parents are concerned if their children would get adverse reactions such as allergy,” he said.
PIX: AFFAN FAUZI / MalaysiaGazette / 15 DECEMBER 2020
Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali. foto AFFAN FAUZI, 15 DISEMBER 2020.
Nevertheless, he reassured the parents that serious adverse reactions rarely happen and with early treatment, the teenager would fully recover from it.
Therefore, Dr Noor Azmi, who is also the Chairman of Covid-19 Task Force for Adolescent (CITF-A) requested the parents to accompany their children to their vaccination appointment to protect them against the disease.
He added, although the economic and social sectors have been reopened and the situation is getting better, the parents should be aware that the risk of Covid-19 infection is still high.
“No one is truly safe until everyone is safe,” he said. -MalaysiaGazette
