Govt awaits data from clinical trials conducted on adolescent recipients - Khairy

National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said so far the American company was the only company that has preliminary test findings on the group.

“Pfizer has informed us that they will be sending information on ongoing clinical trials conducted among recipients aged 12 to 15 to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"They (Pfizer) will also submit the information to our National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA)," he told reporters at a press conference after the Kedah-level COVID-19 National Immunisation Task Force meeting here today.

He said after obtaining data on the clinical trials, NPRA would determine whether the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the company could be used to inoculate adolescents in the country.

"Most of our vaccine orders are from Pfizer and we may be able to ask for more (doses) from Pfizer after this if the vaccine can be used on teenagers,” he said.

However, Khairy said it could not be implemented in the near future as the clinical trials would take a long time to complete.

Meanwhile, he said seven more vaccination centres (PPV) would be opened in Kedah starting May 1 to facilitate recipients to get their jabs under Phase Two of the vaccination exercise.

“Previously, we have opened five PPVs in Kedah. Apart from that, we have four special PPVs in Kedah, namely Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, Alor Setar; Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital, Sungai Petani; Kulim Hospital and Sultanah Maliha Hospital, Langkawi.

Khairy said these special vaccination centres were allocated for high-risk groups with allergies, immune system problems and who had a history of bleeding.