In the Vitebsk region, as in other regions of the country, active vaccination against coronavirus infection for adolescents aged 12–17 began at the end of December. This will not only help protect them from severe illness and serious consequences of COVID-19 (and the experience of pediatricians shows that children are also subject to these risks), but will also contribute to collective immunity against the new virus. The correspondent of "VV" found out how the immunization of young patients against COVID-19 infection is organised at the Vitebsk Regional Children's Clinical Centre.
The chief physician of the institution, Galina Puzanova, explained that the campaign started during the school holidays, and therefore it is currently carried out only on the basis of children's polyclinics. Once classes resume, vaccinations will also be administered at school medical centres. Pediatricians have already informed parents through class teachers in parental chat groups.
In addition, agreements have been reached with secondary vocational and higher education institutions that also have students under the age of 18. An additional vaccination point will be organised at the regional children's polyclinic for this category of students. Children from boarding schools are also planned to be vaccinated – lists of children of the appropriate age are currently being compiled, after which medical personnel will deliver the necessary vaccine supplies to their place of residence.
– I wouldn't say this is entirely new work for our service in organisational terms. We have a whole system for vaccinating children, including mass immunization against influenza, not to mention the National Vaccination Schedule. The storage and transportation conditions for the Chinese vaccines used for vaccinating the child population against coronavirus are similar to those we have worked with before. Consequently, no additional equipment was required. The only difference is that for the new vaccine, we obtain written consent from parents. We have sufficient supplies of vaccines, and there are people willing to be vaccinated, – said Galina Puzanova.
In the very first days, young patients began to appear at the vaccination room of the regional children's polyclinic – some by appointment, others who came to the polyclinic for other reasons and decided to get vaccinated at the same time.
Among them is 17-year-old Petr Tokarets. At that time, the teenager was undergoing a medical examination for the military enlistment office, and since he was with his mother, he also received his first dose of coronavirus vaccine simultaneously.
– In general, we have a positive attitude towards specific prophylaxis; children have been vaccinated against influenza every year, and our son immediately agreed to be vaccinated against coronavirus infection – as soon as we asked him, there was no need to persuade him. The whole family had a mild form of COVID. While I am still contemplating, I fully supported my son's decision, especially since he studies at the Vitebsk Cadet School and plans to pursue higher military education, and vaccination information will not hinder him, – says his mother Ekaterina. Even earlier, his 70-year-old grandmother was vaccinated with the Chinese vaccine, and with the opportunity arising, her grandson followed suit, and it is possible that Ekaterina will also make a positive decision soon.
For hesitant parents, pediatricians offer several arguments.
– The Vero Cell vaccine by Sinopharm, used in our country for vaccinating children aged 12 and over, is registered in Europe, and in China, it is used for vaccinating children from three years of age. It is an inactivated, i.e., non-live, vaccine that stimulates the immune system without the risk of causing illness, preparing the body to react to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In general, inactivated vaccines are familiar to us – for example, the polio vaccine, which we have been using for a long time and vaccinate children according to the National Calendar from two months of age, is created on a similar principle, – explains Irina Gribovskaya, Head of the Vaccination Prevention Centre of the Vitebsk Regional Children's Clinical Centre.
Possible reactions to the new vaccine should also not cause concern; redness, induration at the injection site, malaise, fever, headache, or muscle pain are permissible. The most important thing that pediatricians draw adults' attention to before COVID-19 vaccination is that the child must be healthy, have no acute illnesses, no allergies to the vaccine components, and if they have had coronavirus infection, visiting the vaccination room is permissible no earlier than six months later.
– It is important to understand that even a past infection does not guarantee immunity. Both teenagers and young children get sick, and there can be quite serious complications, and these are not isolated cases. This was particularly noticeable during the third and fourth waves. Even now, when the incidence is declining, there are still new cases among children. Therefore, if our country has an opportunity to vaccinate teenagers against coronavirus, I believe we must definitely use it, – Galina Puzanova is convinced. And this, according to pediatricians, should be the main argument for parents who want to protect their children during the pandemic.
Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by