Children 5-11 to get COVID vaccine from Nov. 19
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, looks on as 12-year-old Danah Shiwgobin receives her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at St. Stanislaus College, in August (Delano Williams photo)
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, looks on as 12-year-old Danah Shiwgobin receives her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at St. Stanislaus College, in August (Delano Williams photo)

WITH physical learning at a standstill as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the lives of people across the globe, the Guyana Government intends to begin the roll- out of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages five to 11 on November 19, 2021.

This was disclosed by Chief Education officer, Dr. Marcel Hudson, on Friday. On October 29, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorised the emergency use of the vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 to include children five through 11 years of age.

This vaccine, in August 2021, became the first COVID-19 jab to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. The Guyana Government, through collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, commenced its roll-out of the Pfizer vaccine to children ages 11 to 18 on August 26, 2021.

Dr. Hudson, in a memorandum seen by this publication, stated that “the return to schools for face-to-face teaching and learning is highly dependent on the roll-out of this vaccination programme. Efforts must be made by the school, PTA (Parent Teachers Association), School Boards, Old Students’ Association, Departments of Education, and the community to educate parents on the importance of having their children vaccinated and to ensure a smooth flow of this process.”

According to the memo, a schedule will be published and circulated that will indicate which schools will be used as vaccination sites and on what dates children can go to be vaccinated.
It further states that this process will be done using a cluster approach whereby students of specific schools will be required to visit a nearby school to receive their vaccines.

“Pupils who are now entering Grade 7 can return to their respective primary schools to receive their vaccine, once that school is a vaccination site or they can visit the school which will be the vaccination site for the pupils of the primary schools.”

Parents of children ages 5-7 also have the option of having their children vaccinated at any of the permanent site established in their region.

Earlier in 2021, the Ministry of Health had informed the Education Ministry that in order to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, all school-aged children should be vaccinated before returning to the classrooms.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, in August, highlighted that while parents have the option to choose whether they want their children to be vaccinated, inoculation is the best defence against the deadly effects of the COVID-19 virus.

The Ministry of Education, in early August, began issuing consent forms to parents of over 50,000 students in secondary schools.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.