The ministry sought to clarify a statement made by deputy health minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni yesterday, in which he said the programme was for all Malaysians aged 60 and above.

In a statement today, it said the free jabs are only for those above 60 with at least one chronic disease, namely diabetes, respiratory illnesses, heart disease, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia or chronic kidney disease.

It said the programme, commencing on Feb 18, is purely voluntary and would benefit more than 170,000 senior citizens across the country.

“The extension of this immunisation programme is aimed at protecting even more of the high-risk population from serious complications of influenza, such as pneumonia, heart inflammation and sepsis, which can lead to hospital admission or even death,” it said.

Bookings for the vaccination may be made through the MySejahtera application beginning on Feb 14, and the distribution of vaccines will be done in phases.

The ministry also confirmed a shortage of influenza vaccines in the local market, but gave an assurance this was only temporary.

It said the death of Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu due to influenza complications that led to pneumonia in Japan last week had caused a surge in demand for the jabs.

“This trend caused a shortage in the stock of influenza vaccines in the local market. However, this shortage is only temporary.

“There is a sufficient supply of influenza vaccines for the medium term, particularly for the implementation of existing immunisation plans. The ministry is also taking steps to ensure that the supply of vaccines in the local market recovers as soon as possible.”