Parents should have confidence in PICKids - Kelantan mufti

KOTA BHARU: Parents need to have confidence in the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) carried out by the government and not be influenced by the propaganda against it, spread by certain quarters via social media.

Kelantan mufti, Datuk Mohamed Shukri Mohamed said the social media's claim of possible side effects from the vaccination had caused worries and reluctance of some parents to register their children for the vaccination.

He said this vaccination on children aged five to 11 years initiated by the government since recently had been agreed upon by the National Fatwa Council Committee (MJFK) and it followed the guidelines stipulated.

"What we're seeing now is that all over the world, children have already been taking the vaccine and proven to be good for them.

"On whether it's harmful or not, we've seen that the vaccines have been proven to be effective for the majority of adults who have taken the first, second and third dose.

"Now there's (COVID-19) vaccination for children here (in Malaysia). In my opinion, the people should not be unduly worried as before this pandemic, vaccines had been given to children against various diseases but why didn't the people make noise against these vaccines?" he said when contacted today.

Mohamed Shukri said the government had introduced the (COVID-19) vaccines not for negative or bad intentions but only for the good of the people.

"The government had earlier spent billions of ringgit to assist the people during the Movement Control Order period. So I urge the people, especially those in Kelantan, to change their way of thinking and regard the vaccines as something good," he added.

-- BERNAMA