EFFECTIVE Monday, parents or guardians nationwide can use the MySejahtera app to register their children for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids).

ProtectHealth, in a statement today, said the MySejahtera booking system, which was rolled out in the Klang Valley on February 3, is expanded nationwide as a continuous effort by the government in ensuring the well-being, health and protection of children against the Omicron variant.

“After the child is registered as a vaccination dependent, parents or guardians will be able to choose their preferred vaccination centre to book vaccination appointments via the MySejahtera app and may proceed with preferred date and time,” it said.

“It is recommended to update the app to the latest version before proceeding to book an appointment through the booking management system.

“For children between the ages of five and 11 years, you (parents or guardians) should pick Pfizer (children) as the vaccine type.”

ProtectHealth chief executive officer Anas Alam Faizli advised parents to get their children vaccinated against Covid-19 to protect them from serious complications, particularly the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

He said it was reported this month that seven children aged 18 and below in Malaysia had died of MIS-C due to Covid-19 infections and cases had also been on an upward trend.

“Research showed that the Pfizer vaccine on children is effective and able to enhance immunity against Covid-19 as well as reduce the risk of serious illness from the virus,” he said.

According to Anas, 821 private health facilities (clinics, specialist hospitals, private hospitals and ambulatory care centres) and 91 offsite vaccination centres under ProtectHealth are providing PICKids vaccinations.

He said parents or guardians may also find their preferred vaccination centre for PICKids under ProtectHealth on its website. 

Based on data shared by ProtectHealth, as at February 28, 879,264 doses of vaccine for PICKids have been administered since its commencement on February 3, and 568,731 or 64.6% were contributed by private medical practitioners and healthcare civil society groups under ProtectHealth. – Bernama, March 4, 2022.