Ministry Set For Covid-19 vaccination In Schools.
To increase uptake, the Health Ministry will begin Covid-19 vaccination drives in schools and institutions of higher learning at the end of this month.
In November of last year, the ministry began issuing Pfizer vaccines to teenagers aged 15 to 18. The Pharmacy and Poisons Board reviewed the data and determined that it was safe to use in children aged 12 and up.
Willis Akhwale, chairman of the Vaccines Deployment Taskforce, stated on Friday that vaccine uptake among teenagers has been low.
According to ministry data, 30,351 doses were administered to teenagers aged 15 to 18.
“We started it when schools were closing, so the uptake has been slow, but we are hoping to work with higher institutions and start drives in schools most likely later this month or early February,” Akhwale said.
Even though children have a lower risk of becoming severely ill with Covid-19 than adults, vaccinating them protects the entire family and slows the virus’s spread in the community.
To date, 11.09 million vaccines have been distributed throughout the country. 6.7 million people have been partially vaccinated, 4.7 million have been fully vaccinated, and 90,334 doses have been administered as booster shots.
The proportion of adults who have received all of their vaccines is 17.5%. World Health Organization has approved two new drugs to treat Covid-19.
The first drug, baricitinib, is advised to be used in conjunction with steroids. It is advised for patients who have severe or critical Covid-19.
It is an oral medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
The World Health Organization also advised using Sotrovimab to treat mild or moderate Covid-19 in patients at high risk of hospitalization.
This includes patients who are older, immunocompromised, have underlying conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, and those who have not been immunized.
“The extent to which these medicines will save lives depends on how widely available and affordable they will be,” WHO added.
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Ruxolitinib and Tofacitinib were also considered by the panel of experts developing the guidelines for severe and critical Covid-19. Given the uncertainty of their effects, they made a conditional recommendation against using them.
Ruxolitinib is used to treat myelofibrosis, a bone marrow cancer, whereas Tofacitinib is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
Ministry Set For Covid-19 vaccination In Schools.
