Last shot: A nurse attending to children before their turn for vaccination at KPJ Tawakkal in Kuala Lumpur.
PETALING JAYA: There was little fuss as the curtains came down on the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids).
At most vaccinations centres, it was a quiet affair with few people showing up for the first dose for children aged five to 11.
At a vaccination centre in Kuala Lumpur, only two to three families were seen with children waiting to be vaccinated.
Aleana Syafiqah, a team leader at the centre, said the number of children coming to the centre had dwindled as the May 31 deadline approached.
“There was a slight uptick after the extension of the deadline from May 15 but it was not as high compared with the early days.
“Since May 15, we only received between 50 and 100 children daily,” she said.
Mohd Fitri Ab Wahab, 38, who was at the centre, said he had waited till the 11th hour to send his 10-year-old daughter for vaccination.
All in the family: (From left) Siblings Muhd Akif Al Jannah, eight, Muhd Akid, 10, Nur Ayesha, six, and Muhd Akma, nine, posing for a photograph after receiving their Covid-19 vaccination at PPV International Youth Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
“We did not take a wait-and-see approach. We opted to come late to avoid the big crowds in the early stages,” he said, adding that he was also cautious because he had a toddler at home.
A housewife who wanted to be known as Nadia, 30, whose daughter was there for her second dose, said the extension also saw many of her friends rushing to register their children.
“At first, they were hesitant but when the programme was ending, many registered their children,” she said, adding that her daughter was enrolled when the programme was launched in February.
Many other children’s vaccination centres in the Klang Valley only provided the service on selected days in the week, with most doing so on weekends and at selected hours.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said recently that children who turn five on or after May 31, 2022 and those who were were infected or whose parents had contracted Covid-19 recently could still be vaccinated for free until Jan 31, 2023.
However, those aged between five and 11 who have yet to receive their first dose will now have to pay for it at private healthcare facilities.
Those who have received their first dose can get the second dose for free. An estimated 548,523 children will complete their second dose by Aug 30.
PICKids was initially set to end on May 15 but was extended to yesterday because of the Hari Raya and Labour Day holidays, which saw the closure of vaccination centres.
