IPOH, Sept 21 — The Perak government is targeting 237,200 teenagers aged between 12 and 17 for Covid-19 vaccination, said state Health, Science, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman Mohd Akmal Kamarudin.

He said of this figure, some 60,950 students aged 16 and 17 are targeted to receive their first dose first.

"The Vaccination Programme for Adolescents is being undertaken simultaneously in the whole of Perak beginning yesterday involving 41 vaccination centres (PPVs) covering schools, vocational colleges and public PPVs.

"The objective is to achieve herd immunity for Perak, which has always been a priority of the state government, especially for students who are about to start their school sessions in preparation for examinations soon,” he said in a statement today.

He said parents have been asked to ensure that their children are registered through MySejahtera and to be present at the designated PPVs for their vaccination appointments.

Meanwhile, State Health director Datuk Dr Ding Lay Ming, when contacted by Bernama, said the administration of Covid-19 vaccines to adolescents aged 12 to 17 with comorbidities had started on September 13.

The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) for adolescents will cover 3.2 million teenagers aged 12 to 17 throughout the country. — Bernama