Covid-19: Form Five students to receive vaccine jabs from July, says Khairy

KUANTAN: Form Five students will be getting their Covid-19 vaccination by next month, says Khairy Jamaluddin (pic).

The coordinating minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme said that these students would be given the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, adding that this is being done to open up the option of sending these students back to school soon.

"Yes, first dose in July. The Education Minister wants the option; this has not been decided by the National Security Council yet but he wants the option to send the exam students - Form Five and Form Six students back to school - perhaps by the end of July or August, depending on the spread of cases," said Khairy.

"If that's going to be the case, I have to give them the vaccination in July," he added at a press conference here on Friday (June 18).

On June 9, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba had said that children between the ages of 12 and 17 are expected to be included in the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme in its fifth phase.

He had said that this phase - which would likely kick off in August - would only take place if the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) gives its approval for the Pfizer vaccine to be used on children in this age group.

More to come