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Copenhagen (AFP)
Teachers and school staff should be among the priority groups for vaccination against COVID-19 so that schools in Europe and Central Asia can remain open, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF said on Monday.
Measures to ensure that schools are open during the pandemic “include offering teachers and other school personnel the anticovid vaccine, as part of the target groups in national vaccination plans,” UN agencies said in a statement.
The recommendation, which had been formulated in November 2020 by a group of WHO experts before the vaccines were released, should be made “ensuring the vaccination of vulnerable populations,” the statement added.
In reopening schools after the summer break, agencies said it is “vital that classroom learning continues uninterrupted” despite the spread of the contagious delta variant of the virus.
“This is of paramount importance for children’s education, mental health and social skills, so that schools help give children the means to be happy and productive members of society,” the director of WHO for Europe, Hans Kluge.
“The pandemic has caused the most catastrophic disruption in the history of education,” he said.
The agencies urged countries to vaccinate children over the age of 12 who have medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to severe COVID-19 infection.
He also highlighted the importance of taking steps to improve the school environment during the pandemic, such as better ventilation, fewer students per classroom, social distancing, and frequent covid testing for children and staff.
© 2021 AFP
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