16 And 17 Year Olds Can Get Vaccinated From Mid September

---

 
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has sent a circular on vaccination for teens to state health authorities.PETALING JAYA: Certain teenagers will be allowed to get their Covid-19 vaccines by the middle of September, according to a letter signed by health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
The circular, directed to state health directors and hospital directors, said all teens aged 16 and 17 with or without health issues will be allowed to get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, those aged 12 to 15 are eligible to get immunised if they have certain health issues.
“With that said, its implementation depends on the supply of vaccines available,” Noor Hisham said in the letter.
An aide to Noor Hisham confirmed to FMT the letter was authentic, adding that any official announcements on the matter will be made by the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF).
Noor Hisham said vaccinations for this group will be given at designated centres (PPVs) as well as through outreach programmes such as in schools.
Pre-vaccination assessments will be conducted based on the recipient’s health status, medical history, allergy history and any treatment or medicine being taken.
These are only for recipients who have an allergy history, are immuno-compromised due to any sickness or ongoing treatment, taking anticoagulant medicine or if they have a bleeding diathesis, a tendency to bruise or bleed easily.
If given the green light by the assessing medical officer, they will only be vaccinated at a designated PPV in a hospital or medical centre.
“The instructions in this circular come into effect from Sept 15, 2021,” he said.
Putrajaya had been urged by certain quarters to start vaccinating those aged 12 to 17, with Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii describing recent Covid-19 cases among children as “alarming”.
Yii said that according to reports, 82,341 children had been infected with Covid-19 from Jan 25, 2020, to May 30 this year, with the “vast majority” of cases happening in 2021.
So far, the Drug Control Authority, an agency under the health ministry, has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12 and above. - FMT

---