The programme will be overseen by the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force-Adolescent (CITF-A), health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.

The task force will also draw up policies and coordinate the national youth Covid-19 immunisation programme (Youth PICK) with state governments and related government agencies, he said at a joint press conference at the launch of the programme in Putrajaya today. Also present was senior minister for education Radzi Jidin.

The CITF-A, to be chaired by deputy health minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali, will have representatives from the health ministry, the education ministry and the science, technology and innovation ministry, he added.

Khairy said Youth PICK had already begun in Sarawak on Sept 8 and Labuan on Sept 11.

“CITF granted approval for the implementation of the programme in both states as immunisation among adults has reached 80% there,” he said.

He said Youth PICK would be carried out through several methods such as outreach to schools or institutions on a scheduled basis, injections at health clinics and hospitals as well as walk-ins at selected vaccination centres (PPVs) nationwide.

“The teenagers must be present with their parents or guardians to sign the consent form to receive the vaccine,” he said.

Adolescents with health problems would be exempted from receiving the vaccine, Khairy said, adding that the list of special PPVs for walk-in vaccinations would be announced tomorrow.

Khairy also said the ministry plans to get 60% of youths aged 12 to 17 at least one vaccine dose by November and 80% of them fully vaccinated before schools reopen for 2022.

This comes after a worrying rise of infections among children, with a total of 310,074 cases as of Aug 30 compared to 12,620 throughout last year.

A total of 47 adolescents under 18 have died from Covid-19 so far, 41 of them this year alone.

On Sept 12, Radzi announced that the ministry would begin face-to-face school sessions from Oct 3 according to the phase in the national recovery plan.