KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 ― Effective Monday (March 7), 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, was expanded nationwide as a continuous effort by the government in ensuring the wellbeing, 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 (PPV) to book vaccination appointment at selected PPVs via the MySejahtera app and may proceed with preferred date and time.

"It is recommended to update the app to the latest version before proceeding to book an appointment through the Booking Management System,” according to the statement.

ProtectHealth chief executive officer Datuk 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 in February 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 Pfizer vaccine on children is effective and able to enhance immunity against Covid-19, also reduce the risk of serious illness from the virus,” he said.

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

He said parents or guardians may also find their preferred PPV for PICKids under ProtectHealth as a reference list on the website at www.protecthealth.com.my.   

Based on data shared by ProtectHealth, as at February 28, a total of 879,264 doses of vaccination for PICKids have been administered since its commencement on February 3, and 568,731 or 64.6 per cent were contributed by private medical practitioners and healthcare non-government organisations (NGOs) under ProtectHealth. ― Bernama