The Ministry of Health is trying to get COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months to four years old.
Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony said on Monday that the move follows the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently giving emergency use authorization to immunize that age cohort using the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines manufactured for specifically for that younger group.
“We have started a process of trying to access the vaccine for the six months to four years age group. In fact, we’re right now trying to determine what quantities we’ll ask for, so this week we will put in that order, and hopefully in the next two months or so we will be able to get some of these vaccines,” he said.
On June 21, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) authorized the roll-out of approximately 10 million doses to children in the United States.
Dr Anthony noted that studies have shown that the vaccine is very effective in boosting the immunity of this young population.
Meanwhile, the health minister is urging pregnant mothers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as this will enable infants to develop antibodies that can protect them against the deadly virus.
“One way of getting them protected is to make sure that the mothers, during pregnancy, that they take their vaccines. It has been shown that if mothers take their vaccine in the third trimester that their children would have enough antibodies to protect them over the next six months,” he explained.
The Ministry of Health earlier this month started vaccinating children ages five to 11 years old against COVID-19. To date, over 3,000 children have received the first dose of the vaccine.
Of the adolescent population, 47.9 per cent have taken the first dose and 35.1 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Minister Anthony also appealed to eligible persons to get their booster doses.
Reminding that immunity drops approximately six months after vaccination, he stressed that it was important for people;e to get their booster shots.
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