Paediatric Covid vaccination drive kicks off

Health teams to concentrate on schools for inoculating children against the virus

KARACHI:

Covid vaccination of children between five to 11 years of age started in Karachi and Hyderabad on Monday.

Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho and DCM US Embassy Andrew Schofer inaugurated the pediatric vaccination drive. Representatives from WHO, UNICEF, Paediatric Association, EPI and EOC were also in attendance.

The campaign will continue from the Monday to Saturday and will target 2.4 million children in the first round.

Due to incidences of Covid in children being reported from Karachi, the first phase of the campaign will focus on the seven districts of Karachi division.

Dr Pechuho said that schools will be the main site for vaccinating children, SOPs to accommodate them have been provided. These include the special smaller dose for the Covid vaccine, insulin syringes (that are thinner and less painful than regular syringes), ensuring that children are vaccinated one by one and that AEFI is closely monitored. The number of HR engaged in this campaign is 16,000.

She said that to avoid refusals from parents, the education department and the paediatric association has conducted awareness campaigns to sensitise the parents and inform them of the need to vaccinate their children and protect them from Covid.

There are a total of 4,371 Teams, with three people in each team, 3,804 outreach teams, 536 fixed centre teams, 31 mobile teams, 255 AEFI Focal persons, 874 1st level supervisors, 58 second level supervisors, and 29 data entry operators. Schofer informed the meeting that there are eight million doses of the paediatric covid vaccine and eight million more doses will be arriving in October.

Dr Pechuho Sindh Health Minister added that Pfizer vaccine has been studied extensively and numerous trials with its adult and child vaccine had been carried out so it is a safe and reliable vaccine that is integral for the protection of the children against Covid.

Dr Pechuho also reminded the meeting that 1122 is the helpline through which one could be informed of regular updates on which hospital has bed availability for which disease.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2022.