KUALA LUMPUR: The COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) said it viewed seriously the technical hiccups that occurred during the booking of the second-round opt-in AstraZeneca vaccine appointment slots yesterday afternoon.

In a statement yesterday, CITF said it would take actions against relevant parties as it involves public and national interest.

It was reported that users could not access several features on the CITF website to book the appointment slots for the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We apologise for any inconvenience faced by the public. We would like to reiterate that those who have registered under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Program (PICK) will still be vaccinated, especially when the vaccination process is expedited in the coming months," read the statement.

CITF said a total of 956,609 AstraZeneca vaccination slots for Malaysians below 60 years old residing in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Johor and Sarawak had been taken up yesterday in about an hour.

A total of 1,261,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine were offered, of which 275,208 doses were booked by senior citizens when it was first opened from May 23 to today, it said, adding 29,183 people who are on the waiting list from the previous round are also put on the queue to receive the jab.

It expressed thanks to the public for carrying out their responsibilities to ensure that the country would achieve herd immunity to fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

Netizens took to social media today to express their disappointment for failing to book the AstraZeneca vaccination slots.

-- BERNAMA