The government will not impose restrictions on children aged five to 11, who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, nevertheless, in a tweet urged parents to get their children registered for the COVID-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) on the MySejahtera application, in order to protect their young ones from the coronavirus.

Last week, Khairy announced that the appointment system for PICKids would open in the Klang Valley end of this month.

The Health Ministry aims to vaccinate 70 per cent of children aged from five to 11, with the Pfizer vaccine, under this initiative, within two months of the programme's launch in early February, and 80 per cent to be fully vaccinated within six months.

It is worth noting that the "no-restrictions" policy differs from the one imposed on adults who shun the vaccine, including being denied dine-in facilities at restaurants.

A total of 269,773 COVID-19 casesy, and 31 deaths involving children aged between five and 11 have been reported from Jan 25, 2020, to Jan 19, 2022.

International studies have shown that the Pfizer vaccine is about 90.7 per cent effective in combating COVID-19 in children.


Source: Bernama
Photo source: bangkokpost.com