KUALA LUMPUR: The interval between the first and second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the opt-in programme will soon be updated to 12 weeks for all registrants.
Khairy Jamaluddin, who is the coordinating minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme said some vaccine recipients had received a shorter interval as shown on their MySejahtera application.
This, he said, would be corrected soon to reflect the 12-week duration.
"All AZ second dose appointments will be updated soon to 12 weeks. This will be reflected in MySejahtera.
"12 weeks is the default. Some still have a shorter interval in their MySejahtera. This will be rectified as soon as possible.
"The Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee (JKJAV) will accept requests for shortened interval via website soon," he wrote on Twitter.
Khairy, who is also the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation had on May 4 said the 12-week interval is in line with recommendations given by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and is currently being practised in the United Kingdom.
He had also said JKJAV will review applications sent in requesting for shorter intervals on a case to case basis, for example, students going abroad.
Registration for the AstraZeneca vaccine opened on May 2 to 268,000 eligible individuals as well as those over the age of 18 in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor on a "first click and first serve" basis. The vaccination exercise for voluntary applicants began on May 5.
On May 15, Khairy announced that one million more doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, procured via the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access or Covax, will be opened for opt-in registration in May.