KOTA BHARU: Six thousand youths have been mobilised throughout the country in the effort to ensure the success of vaccine dispensing under National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme.

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said the group would assist the Health Ministry (MOH) in disseminating information to members of the public especially those in the rural areas on the vaccination programme.

He said the group would also be managing matters on administration of vaccination such as registration and reception including bringing individuals to vaccination centres.

"Those involved have been trained and briefed earlier so that they could explain clearly the vaccination programme to the people house to house.

"They are tasked with providing details such what is a vaccine and its effects apart from assisting the people to register via MySejahtera or to take them to be registered at the nearest district health centre," he said when met by reporters here today.

Commenting further, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal said the effort would be intensified as many people were still found to be not clear on the vaccination programme.

"There are many who are still unclear about the programme apart from anxieties and so on.

"Among those need such information service are elderly folks. In fact I see that vaccination registration in Kelantan is still low especially among senior citizens," he said.

He said the ministry is confident the move to deploy youths would raise the rate of COVID-19 vaccine reception in the community and thereby ensuring the success of the vaccination programme in meeting its objective.

"Health personnel will be very busy in the actual vaccination process and therefore such volunteers would a great help," he said.

Earlier the media reported that Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said the implementation of phase two of the vaccination programme was even brought forward by two days to April 17.

Following that, the registration campaign should be stepped up as only 30 per cent of the people in the group aged 60 years and above and individuals with comorbidities have registered through MySejahtera.

-- BERNAMA