The nation’s Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, gave a press conference with the president of the Argentine Pediatric Society (SAP), Omar Tabacco, where he announcedthe start of the Coronavirus vaccination campaign for boys from 3 to 11 years old.
Before the announcement, the official held a meeting with the representative of the association of pediatricians after the request of the entity to know the details of the document on the efficacy of the Sinopharm vaccine on which the recommendation of the National Administration of Medicines was based. , Food and Medical Technology (Anmat). Finally,The use of the Chinese vaccine was confirmed to be applied as of October 12 in them, with priority in those who have a risk factor.
Representatives from Unicef and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) also participated in the meeting.
” We really needed this information that we were able to share today and because we clearly in a statement that we issued on Saturday said that we will always be in favor of vaccination,” explained Tabacco after the meeting with government authorities.
The president of the SAP added: “Today’s meeting is very important for us because we have accessed information that until now we did not have about the path that Anmat has taken to achieve this authorization and recommendation that it has made with this vaccine in the age group (from 3 to 11 years old). We reinforce that at no time can one mistrust Anmat, it is a prestigious agency ”.
The distribution process will begin between this Thursday and Friday, and application will begin on October 12 “In conjunction with the Nation, provinces, municipalities, of course the scientific societies with the SAP at the head, as a representative and with a strategic role in pediatric vaccination”.
Vizzotti anticipated that a statement on the decision will be issued in the next few days and assured that a consensus was reached “the fundamental step, which implies moving forward with the vaccination of adolescents and children from 3 to 11 years old.”
In the first stage, “priority boys and girls will be vaccinated, those who are most at risk and have been waiting for this vaccine for more than 18 months in order to be able, although a careful presence is generated, to be able to approach the schools ”, continued Vizzotti.
After Vizzotti’s announcement last Friday, the SAP and later SADIP (Argentine Society of Pediatric Infectology) requested, through communications from the two entities,more scientific evidence on the application, in emergency situation, in minors.
“ The fundamental step that vaccination implies to advance with adolescents , children from 3 to 11 years old, was agreed , in what their individual benefit means , since although proportionally the new cases are decreasing and much,the proportion of COVID-19 cases in those under 18 years of age is increasingsince they are still susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2 virus because they have not yet been immunized, we have the prospect of rapidly scaling up vaccination in adolescents during this month, “Vizzotti said at a press conference, where he referred to the meetings with specialists and specific “today we reach 50% of the entire Argentine population with two doses”.