With vaccination of children under 12 years of age, collective immunity against the coronavirus would be achieved in Ecuador | Ecuador | News

Mothers of families agree while specialists believe that the Government seeks political gain and that there should be a debate. It will start in October.

To achieve the herd immunity or herd against COVID-19, Ecuador will include in the vaccination children under 12 years old, from the second week of October.

That immunity would be achieved by vaccinating more than 15 million people, about 85%, of a total population of 17′751.277 inhabitants.

According to vaccinometer, a government tool to see how the vaccination plan is progressing, until September 22, 10’699,102 people have been vaccinated with first doses and with second doses at 9’833.158. In total, 20,532,260 doses applied.

Vaccination is currently concentrated in the population of between 12 and 15 years (1,336,000 people).

Jose Ruales, Vice Minister of Governance and Health Surveillance of the Ministry of Public Health (MSP), argued that if 100% of this group is vaccinated, it would reach a 77,4 % coverage nationwide.

The population over 12 years of age is 13,743,000 people.

“To achieve the vaccination of more than 15 million people We need to vaccinate the population from 6 years of age. The population over 6 years of age is 15,762,000 people. ”, He said Ruals in a television interview.

The population group of 6 to 11 years it is 2’019,000 children.

There would be two vaccines that would be used: Pfizer y Sinovac.

“As of November, once we complete the vaccination of the first dose of adolescents between 12 and 15 years of age, we are maintaining a reserve that is contracted to arrive at the end of October and the month of November, of both types of vaccine. ; in such a way that if there is a decision to vaccinate children with either of these two vaccines, of these laboratories, we will have the necessary amount to be able to do it and that decision will be made at the national level … “, he indicated Ruals, earlier this week.

Ximena Garzón: We are going to start vaccinating against COVID-19 from the age of five from the second week of October

Irina Jaramillo mother of Alicia Ramos, 5 years, argued that everyone in the family has already been vaccinated, so it seems to him absurd not to vaccinate her to her, who already has all her complete vaccination schedule up to 5 years, including influenza. “If COVID-19 is just as serious as other diseases against which it has been vaccinated, well, even more so, how can I not put it?” He said.

What worries you is that can be contagious and you get something very serious like pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome.

Magaly Morales, mother of Jose Miguel Vásconez, from 7 years He also agrees that there be vaccination, as he sees it as a priority part so that they can return to face-to-face classes, in addition to the fact that parents can feel much safer.

He added that a face-to-face feedback it must be subject to compliance with biosafety measures.

“It has been very difficult because we have spent a year and a half locked up (…) However, we have explained from the beginning what is the coronavirus, what have been the protocols that we must handle; My son has a lot of this, that you put on the mask, put on the mask well, wherever we go – now that we can go out – is to wash our hands, take the gel, the bottle of alcohol (…) they already stay with the thought that we are still in a pandemic and that we must take care of each other, ”Morales added.

For Fernando Aguinaga, president of the Ecuadorian Society of Pediatrics Pichincha subsidiary, It is a good decision but you have doubts about whether it is the right time; this waiting for clarify various details to start a campaign for that segment.

“The studies are just coming out at this time. Sinovac was approved for children older than 3 years in China, Pfizer this week said that it has finished its studies and they were successful in children older than 5 years; then they do not decide exactly which vaccine is going to be used, what dose is going to be used ”, expressed Aguinaga.

For Alberto Narváez, who has a Ph. D. in disease control policies, the most important role of a vaccine is reduce death and severe cases, but it is not 100% effective in preventing transmission.

Taking this aspect into account, he added that children become seriously ill and die little and most will be asymptomatic, although he said the risk is that they could bring the infection home.

There are almost no patients affected by coronavirus in health units in Quito

“The dilemma is or beef to adulthood, especially those who were vaccinated 6 months ago because the longer immunity passes, (especially) in this group, it decreases much more than in the other groups, or I vaccinate the childrenThat is why the Minister (of Health) proposes to vaccinate with a single dose. It should be thought e investigate further what is happening with severe cases, who are they, how many children there are and decide who to vaccinate, or third dose for those twice vaccinated, over 50 years old, which may be those with risk factors, or vaccinate school children (…) it is going to give income with the parents to the Government, but on the other hand, it is not going to avoid the deaths that are still going to occur ”, he pointed Narváez.

The goal of herd immunity would be reached in December and since January a third dose would go, for example, to health workers in front line who were vaccinated in January 2021. (I)

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