8 days have passed since Salud enabled the coronavirus vaccination for children 6 to 11 years old and the influx in the vaccination centers, mainly in the capital, has been scarce recognized this Monday, March 21 authorities of that portfolio.
Experts consider that the low influx of children in the vaccination centers it was expected, because there are enough elements for parents to be “skeptical” when deciding whether to vaccinate their children or not.
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“The influx is not what we were expecting and we consider that it is due to the variable information that has been on the subject. Unfortunately, there has been no support for the concept of disseminating information, we have been direct in giving the information to the population and we give them the certainty that the vaccine that is being used is not an expired vaccine, it has a shelf life”, recognized Diana Sierra, Coordinator of the National Immunization Program of the Ministry of Health.
In addition, Sierra spoke of the entry of Pfizer vaccines for adults, but from Modern for second doses for children, he only said that arrangements are made, but did not delve into the subject.
“In terms of income to the country, we only have confirmed what is Pfizer for adult doses and efforts are being made by our Minister of Health and his cabinet for the acquisition of Moderna in the period of the 28 and 30 day interval that we have for the beginning of the scheme of the children”.
According to Sierra, from March 14 to 18, 68,065 doses had been administered to children between the ages of 6 and 11, and he reported that until last Friday there were 1 million 700 thousand doses of Moderna, which can be used for reinforcement, starting schemes, completing schemes and also to start scheme in children from 6 to 11 years old.
Skepticism
Meanwhile, pediatrician Alicia Chang, vice president of the Guatemalan Association of Infectious Diseases, pointed out that, although it is proven that the Moderna vaccine is effective for application in children, it is still in phase 3 of approval and that few countries, among them, have opted for this biological for that age group, which could be one of the causes for the low influx.
“In effect, it affects not knowing if there is going to be a second dose for pediatric patients and it also affects the fact that the vaccine Modern it’s been implemented in very few countries, and Guatemala is one of them, but really phase three studies are still being completed and I think there are some people who might be more skeptical because they don’t have that data, I think it’s justified to be a little skeptical about it,” Chang said.
He added that “preliminary data show that the vaccine Modern Apparently it is a fairly safe and effective vaccine, but what really happens is that we do not have all those complete files to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the vaccine and that is what we have been repeating in interviews and our statement.
He also said that as pediatricians, the only thing they can do is show the evidence to parents so that they can decide whether or not to vaccinate their children.
He pointed out that the low influx in the capital’s vaccination centers is due to the fact that, as has been a constant throughout the pandemic, the metropolitan area is where the information flows the most, so the data related to the vaccination of children from 6 to 11 years they have reached more parents from the city than from the departments.
Regarding what happens if a minor only receives the first dose, Chang pointed out that: “the child has an incomplete schedule and therefore is susceptible to infection. We have seen that, once the first dose has been placed, the second can be administered, even several weeks later, but it does not make sense to wait a long time after the first if it is regulated that the period is eight weeks, because the sooner we finish the complete scheme the sooner we will have people protected”.
Vaccination details in Guatemala
- First doses: 7 million 495 thousand 762
- Second doses: 5 million 884 thousand 484
- Reinforcement doses: 2 million 214 thousand 462
- Total doses: 15 million 594 thousand 708
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