PICK for Adolescents to be conducted through scheduled walk-in method from Thursday

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 -- The National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme for Adolescents (PICK Adolescents) will be conducted through a scheduled walk-in method starting Thursday to facilitate and expedite the process.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said 156 public and integrated vaccination centres (PPV) nationwide have been identified for the purpose, with the cooperation from the Ministry of Education.

“This is after we take into account the facts that the PICK for the country’s adult population almost achieves its target and the number of public and integrated PPV has declined and all PPV under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) will cease operations on Oct 15.

“The scheduled walk-in vaccination will be implemented based on school location and distance from the identified PPV, and according to the given date and time. The vaccination schedule will be issued to the adolescents and their parents by their respective schools,” he said in a statement here today.

Dr Noor Azmi said the PICK Adolescents walk-in vaccination will involve all categories of teenagers, including those who are out-of-school.

“For out-of-school teenagers, they are allowed to walk in at any one of the 156 PPV. If the vaccine quota at the PPV has been used up, they will be given an appointment at the same PPV for the following day or at the nearest clinic.

“Public or private university or college students aged below 18 are also allowed to walk in at any operational PPV to get vaccinated by bringing their student card. However, their parents or guardians have to be present to sign the vaccination permission form.

“As a measure to prevent congestion at the PPV, only one parent or guardian will be allowed to accompany the teenager during vaccination,” he said.

The PICK Adolescent programme officially kicked off at the national level yesterday, aiming at vaccinating 3.2 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 against the coronavirus before the opening of school next month.

The programme had begun earlier in Sarawak, Labuan, Sabah, Kelantan, Kedah and Johor and, as of yesterday, a total of 308,186 teenagers had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with Sabah recording the highest number at 118,141, followed by Sarawak (88,473), Kedah (19,453), Kelantan (17,413), Johor (16,019) and Labuan (2,523).

-- BERNAMA