PRIORITY will be given to senior citizens in the second round of registration for the opt-in AstraZeneca vaccination programme, said Khairy Jamaluddin.

The coordinating minister for the national Covid-19 immunisation programme said the first three days of registration for an incoming 1.1 million doses would be reserved for the elderly, after which it would be open to people on the waiting list.

“Registration for the second round of AstraZeneca will be open from May 23-26 for those aged 60 and above via the website and community outreach programmes of the district health offices,” Khairy said at his weekly press conference on inoculation efforts.

“We will have a quota for the district health offices but mostly (registration) will be done online.

“And by May 26, if there are still slots available, we will give them to those below the age of 60, and priority will be given to those who are on the waiting list from the first round of registration.

“Once the waiting list is cleared, then it will be open to the public,” Khairy said, adding there are about 25,000 people on the waiting list.

Khairy, who is the science, technology and innovation minister, said senior citizens were prioritised because they were clinically vulnerable as well as to speed up phase 2 of the vaccination programme.

He said the vaccine would also be offered to the residents of old folk’s homes.

Khairy said the second round of the programme will be expanded to Johor, Sarawak and Penang. The first round was only available in the Klang Valley.

“The decision was made because these states are recording high daily cases and by this (inoculating them) we hope to keep the cases down,” he said.

Khairy said as of today, 475,984 senior citizens, the disabled and those with comorbidities have received their first dose of the vaccine under phase 2 of the immunisation programme. – May 17, 2021.

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