Education

Back to school: the Government seeks to increase pediatric vaccination and works on a new protocol

With a view to the start of the return to classes and the 2022 school year, the National Ministry of Health, together with the Education portfolio, are working on two central axes: advancing with pediatric and calendar vaccinations, and readjusting health protocols in the classrooms before the advance of Ómicron.

The sources consulted coincide in pointing out that although the level of inoculation in minors is “relatively high”, it is necessary to increase the base of vaccinated by March to guarantee presence in schools.

According to official figures, currently 69.9% of children between 3 and 11 years old started their vaccination schedule while 46.7% completed it. “The idea is to be close to 70% with two doses before the start of classes,” they assured in the portfolio led by Carla Vizzotti.

The Government seeks to increase the level of vaccination in children under 11 years of age

To achieve this, we are working on a communication campaign that aims to show the safety and efficacy of vaccines in children. “At the moment we are not analyzing whether the vaccine is mandatory in minors or the implementation of a health pass, only awareness,” they say.

But it is also not ruled out, as TN learned, launching a vaccination operation in schools throughout the country. The measure seeks to convince parents who still have doubts about inoculating their children and demonstrate the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

The Government bought five million pediatric vaccines from Pfizer

In this sense, on Thursday Minister Vizzotti announced the purchase of five million pediatric doses from Pfizer after the ANMAT approved this vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years of age. As reported, the first batch of one and a half million will arrive in Argentina between February and March.

These immunizations are added to the 20 million of the current contract that will arrive in the country during the course of this year.

As for adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age, the vaccination numbers are higher: 85.9% started their scheme and 67.8% completed it. Salud also announced the purchase of more Pfizer doses that will be used in this age group. The new contract is for a total of 18.5 million, including pediatrics.

The Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 was approved this Thursday by the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) for children between 5 and 11 years old. This is a lower dose than that applied in adults.

They plan a new protocol for the return to classes

A few days ago Vizzotti had a meeting with Jaime Perzcyk in which they agreed on the need to increase the number of vaccines against Covid-19 applied to minors, but they stressed that the calendar doses should not be neglected.

At the same time, work is being done on a readjustment of the protocols before the appearance of Ómicron, a variant that proved to be much more contagious than the previous ones and that could be transmitted more easily among students.

Everything will be discussed in the Federal Health Council and the Federal Education Council with the aim of generating the necessary consensus to update the current protocol that includes bubbles, distance and the use of chinstraps and alcohol gel.

According to data from Vizzotti’s portfolio, more than 90% of teachers have the complete scheme and progress is being made in the application of booster doses.

Ethan Hansen

Ethan Hansen founded snewslog which was lately acquired by People News Chronicle.

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