LENGGONG: The Health Ministry does not allow walk-in vaccinations for pregnant women who have yet to receive their Covid-19 inoculation date, said deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali.
However, he said pregnant women are given priority under the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme (NIP) as they are among the high-risk group for Covid-19 infection.
"So far the government wants to complete vaccination for those aged 60-years and above.
"For pregnant women, they will be handled by the Mother and Child Clinic which will set vaccination dates for them.
"So far there is no official announcement on the matter (allowing pregnant women to walk-in)," he told reporters after visiting the Dewan Merdeka vaccination centre (PPV) here today.
He said it was a good suggestion to allow pregnant women who have yet to receive their vaccine to walk-in and the matter would be discussed further.
"As we know, pregnant women fall under the high risk category, and so far we have yet to make any official announcement...but I believe it is a good idea to inoculate pregnant women who are between 14 and 33 weeks pregnant.
"Whether you are pregnant or not, our bodies need an immune system to fight the Covid-19 virus. Pregnant women are carrying their babies and it is crucial for them to get vaccinated," he said.
On June 2, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers were able to update their status on the MySejahtera mobile application, and according to present guidelines, vaccination is recommended for women who are 14 to 33 weeks pregnant as well as lactating mothers.
Al three brands of vaccines being used in Malaysia - Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinovac - are suitable for pregnant women.