Argentina announced on Friday that it will begin immunizing children from 6 months of age against the coronavirus with vaccines from the Moderna laboratory.
President Alberto Fernández highlighted through social networks that Argentina “becomes the first country in Latin America, and one of the first in the world” to make this health decision.
“Vaccines are safe and necessary,” he said.
The announcement took place after the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) approved the use of the RNA platform vaccine from the Moderna laboratory.
“The immunogenicity, efficacy and safety provided support the administration” of the Moderna vaccine “with a primary scheme of two doses of 25 mg each, administered 28 days apart, results that earned it authorization for this age group by the FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) on June 17, 2022”, detailed the Argentine Ministry of Health in a statement.
Moderna could be applied to initiate vaccination schedules from 6 months to 2 years of age and as a booster for children aged 3 and 4 years previously immunized with Sinopharm.
The health ministry stated that 1.4 million doses of Moderna will enter the country as of July 25 for distribution to the different provinces.
“The pandemic is clearly at another stage, it is another situation. But the virus is there, the virus is going to continue with us circulating seasonally”, indicated the Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti. “We are better thanks to the vaccines and that is why we have to continue vaccinating ourselves.”
Since the start of the pandemic, Argentina has reported 9.3 million infections and nearly 130,000 deaths.
The COVID vaccine is not mandatory. According to official data, 37.6 million people out of a population of 47 million were vaccinated with the complete schedule.
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