India has given 189 crore doses, of which 86 crore people and 62.3% of the total population have been fully vaccinated. Since most adults have been vaccinated, the government has focused on children. India announced vaccinations for 12-14 year olds from March 2022. The government estimates that 50 million children will be vaccinated as part of the campaign. The health ministry has also approved emergency use of the vaccine on children between the ages of five and 12. This is a great opportunity for the country to take a decisive step towards vaccination goals and to stop the spread of the virus, especially when cases are on the rise again.Also read – The 9-month waiting period for booster doses is milder for those traveling abroad. Deets inside
It is important to vaccinate children because, just like adults, asymptomatic children can inadvertently spread the disease. Children have shown mild symptoms of Covid-19 infection, but the infection can lead to serious cases. Even as carriers of the virus, children can expose adults with comorbidities to the virus, putting them at risk of hospitalization. In addition, children are more susceptible to covid symptoms long after they have recovered from the illness. Also read – Zydus School for Excellence in Ahmedabad closes after students test positive for Covid-19
As a parent, you make important decisions for your child’s life, such as where to live, what school to go to, what to eat, and so on. Whether or not your child is vaccinated is a powerful way for parents to control their children. – Being. It is an important decision that determines their health and future growth. Also read – Prolonged sitting in AC can harm your health: 5 side effects of air conditioner
Dr. Pramod Jog (Professor of Pediatrics, Past President of National IAP, Covid-19 Taskforce Member Maharashtra, Senior Adviser to UNICEF) shares five reasons why you should vaccinate your child against Covid-19:
Reduces the severity of the virus
While children are only mildly affected by the virus infection, there are a small number of children who are likely to become seriously ill after catching the disease. They may need to be hospitalized. Vaccination protects against virus transmission and reduces the severity of the disease in children. It will enable you to control the disease at home.
Children can infect adults
So far, we have seen that the virus has had a mild effect on children. However, they can still act as carriers to infect adults which can have bad consequences and lead to increased morbidity and mortality. This becomes increasingly important when children return to school and resume their normal activities.
Newer types may avoid antibodies to cause infection
Seroprevalence of more than 70% of antibodies has been observed in children even without vaccination. However, it is possible that the emerging variants have a mechanism to prevent the immune system from causing the infection. The same can be reduced by vaccination. Also, all unvaccinated children are susceptible to COVID-19 (of any type).
Risk in children with comorbidities
Children with comorbidities are always at higher risk when it comes to virus transmission. They have high mortality rates, especially immune conditions such as severe malnutrition, tuberculosis, obesity, uncontrolled asthma, kidney disorders, hematological diseases, malignant, cerebral palsy / neurological disease, congenital heart disease, juvenile diabetes and HIV. Physically or mentally handicapped children with any of these comorbid conditions need to be vaccinated as soon as possible.
High risk in young children
COVID-19 should not be taken lightly in young children. During the second wave, about 11% of COVID-19 cases were in children under 10 years of age. Many reported cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome and prolonged COVID-19. The Indian Academy of Pediatrics expert group on vaccination strongly supports the Covid-19 vaccine for children starting at five years of age.
Conclusion
Vaccines empower children five years of age and older to fight the virus as they safely return to school. The immunization of the herd, which will be the result of such a large scale vaccination in adults and children, will increase the confidence of parents and the school administration in returning the children to school. Let’s vaccinate our children and strengthen our protection against covid 19.
The Government of India has approved two vaccines for children – CORBEVAX and COVAXIN. CORBEVAX is a protein subunit vaccine manufactured using a well-established platform similar to the hepatitis B vaccine and is licensed for the age group of five years and older. COVAXIN is an approved inactivated vaccine for six years and longer. Both CORBEVAX and COVAXIN have already been given to older children. Both vaccines are safe, with millions of doses already being given.
