PUTRAJAYA: The offsite vaccination centre (PPV) at IOI City Tower 1 here opens its doors for the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) starting today.

An offsite PPV is a vaccination centre operated by private medical practitioners and healthcare non-governmental organisations (NGOs) outside their private health facilities, and the one at IOI City Tower 1 is operated by IHEAL Medical Centre.

IHEAL Medical Centre nurse manager Farah Adilah Mohd Ali said the offsite PPV for PICKids only operates on weekends from 9 am to 5 pm.

The offsite PPV has the capacity to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to 700 people daily and as at noon today, over 300 children have been vaccinated, she said.

Farah Adilah said more than 10,000 children between five and 11 years old will receive the vaccine at the PPV which is expected to be operational until this April.

An estimated four million children aged five to 11 are eligible to receive the vaccine.

PICKids is being carried out on a voluntary basis and no restrictions will be imposed on unvaccinated children.

Meanwhile, Dr Masyitah Mohd Locman, 39, said she had registered her son, Muhammad Azman Khairul Fahzan, 11, for the vaccination as soon as the registration for appointments opened.

"I think children need to be vaccinated as the COVID-19 virus will always be in the community and the children also need to live a normal life," she said.

A father who only wanted to be known as Lim said he brought his two daughters aged eight and 10 to receive the vaccine to ensure they will be protected from COVID-19 infection.

"I've lost my family members previously because of COVID-19 and I choose to protect my daughters now through COVID-19 vaccination," he said.

-- BERNAMA