PETALING JAYA: Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force-Adolescent (CITF-A) has announced that from Oct 3, one parent or guardian can accompany an adolescent through the whole vaccination process.
Deputy health minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said this would allow a parent or guardian to witness the vaccination process and reassure the teenager.
“Upon completion of the vaccination process, the parent or guardian will be asked to wait outside to ensure that the seats provided in the observation area are sufficient for vaccinated adolescents to sit and be monitored.
“After the 15 to 30-minute observation period is over, the adolescent will be returned to the care of the parent or guardian,” he said in a statement.
He also said the accompanying adult will also be allowed to record videos of the vaccination process, adding that the health worker must show a properly filled vaccine syringe to the recipient.
Meanwhile, Azmi added that the health worker who inoculated a 12-year-old boy with an empty syringe instead of his Covid-19 vaccine had been relieved of her duties.
“The government takes such incidents seriously and will take appropriate action to ensure that the vaccination process is done safely and properly.
“The safety and well-being of vaccine recipients is our top priority and all medical practitioners will continue to be monitored for compliance of SOPs,” he said.
In the incident at the Universiti Malaya vaccination centre on Thursday, the medical staff member on duty had mistakenly used an empty syringe that had not been used instead of one that was earlier filled with the vaccine.
“CITF-A regrets the incident and would like to apologise to the parents and the vaccine recipient. This incident was an on-duty mistake or human error,” said Noor Azmi, who is also CITF-A chairman.
He said the staff member immediately informed the medical officer on duty at the vaccination centre.
After discussions with the boy’s parents, they allowed him to be vaccinated again on a different arm.
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