Covid-19: Less than 20% of pupils in Penang national type schools signed up for PICKids

GEORGE TOWN: Only about one in five pupils in national type schools, religious schools and Tamil national type schools in Penang have been registered for the Covid-19 Immunisation Program for Children (PICKids) so far.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said only 19.6% of pupils in national schools have registered for vaccination under PICKids, followed by 16.4% in religious schools and 15.8% from Tamil schools.

The figure was significantly higher for Chinese national type schools, at 81%.

“The state is calling on all Penangites to step forward and get vaccinated and take their booster doses immediately.

“At the same time, parents or guardians are also urged to register their children aged five to 11 years to be vaccinated under PICKids.

“As of March 3, state Health Department data shows that out of the 1.77 million total population in the state, 90% have received their first dose of vaccine, 86.2% their second dose and 72.7% the booster dose, totalling 993,432 people.

“Out of the 155,600 children aged five to 11 years in the state, as many as 50% have yet to register under PICKids.

“With the wave of Omicron infections currently experienced by Penang, vaccination is the best way to prevent severe symptoms and reduce brought-in-dead (BID) cases,” he said in a statement Friday (March 4).

Chow added that national data from the Health Ministry revealed that 91% of BID cases were unaware that they were infected with Covid-19, and of that number only 9% received booster shots.

On March 3, Penang recorded 2,488 new Covid-19 cases out of the 32,467 detected nationwide.