ALOR STAR: Nearly 86,000 children in Kedah have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) ends today.
State Health director Dr Othman Warijo as of yesterday 85,854 children have received their first dose of the vaccine under PICKids in Kedah since the programme was rolled out in early February.
"As of May 30, a total 85,854 children or 33.8 per cent of an estimated 215,500 children in the state have received their first dose of the vaccine.
"Some 50,864 children or 20 per cent of the total estimated children in the state have completed their second dose of vaccination," he told the New Straits Times when contacted today.
Othman said Kuala Muda was the only district in Kedah which recorded over 40 per cent of its total children population receiving the first dose of the vaccine.
He added that Langkawi, Pendang, Yan, Baling, Sik and Padang Terap districts recorded below 25 per cent of the children population signing up for the vaccination in the state.
PICKids was officially launched on Feb 3 to control the spread of Covid 19 in classrooms among children.
It was reported that the Health Ministry had targeted for 70 per cent of school-going children, aged between seven to 11, to receive their first dose within two months, and for 50 per cent of the overall 3.6 million children (including those aged 5 and 6) to receive their first vaccine dose by the end of February.
The programme was supposed to end on May 15 but the Health Ministry decided to extend the programme until the end of May.
Deputy Health Minister I Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali was reported as saying the extension was to compensate for the closure of Vaccine Distribution Centres (PPVs) during the long Hari Raya and Labour Day holidays.
He had said children would no longer be offered free vaccination for the first doses of the Comirnaty and CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccines starting June 1.