AstraZeneca bookings start on Sunday (May 2)

PETALING JAYA: Opt-in bookings for the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine will open from today, says Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (pic).

“As previously announced, the Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee is offering an opt-in choice for people who want to take the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“Bookings will be opened at noon on May 2 at vaksincovid.gov.my.

“You need to already be registered with MySejatera and simply need to pick a PPV and date, ” he tweeted yesterday.

The coordinating minister of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme had explained previously that those interested would only need to make an appointment for logistic purposes as it involves special vaccination centres (PPVs).

“The AstraZeneca vaccine will only be given to voluntary applicants following the government’s announcement that it will not be used at the normal PPVs.

“These voluntary applicants are the ones who are aware of all the facts surrounding the vaccine and will undergo a health assessment before receiving their dose, ” he was quoted as saying.

On April 28, the government announced that it would offer the AstraZeneca vaccine on a “first come, first served” basis to the general public in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.Khairy also said the vaccine was not restricted to those who were eligible for the second phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

All 268,800 AstraZeneca vaccine doses received by the government last Saturday were expected to be administered at special PPVs in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, he said.

“The Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee decided as such because Selangor and Kuala Lumpur still top the list of Covid-19 cases, ” he explained.He said the vaccination distribution period was about 12 weeks as recommended by the World Health Organisation.

A total of 1,409,215 individuals have received the Covid-19 vaccine via the national immunisation programme so far. The first batch of AstraZeneca vaccine doses arrived in the country last week.

Concerns over the vaccine came about after a few cases of blood clotting emerged among recipients of the vaccines.

Khairy said the number of such incidents was very rare, with only four cases out of one million people globally.