A group of medical professionals and concerned parents yesterday placed a full-page advertisement in this newspaper accusing the Ministry of Health of being "in breach of medical ethics, by exposing our children to the indeterminate health risks from an emergency use pharmaceutical, without declaring such risk or assuming such liability."
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh has rejected the concerns, saying vaccination is voluntary and parents have the sole discretion to decide on whether vaccinate their children with the paediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
The reality is that every T&T citizen has free choice to accept the vaccines or not. It is perhaps why the vaccination rate has virtually stagnated at just under 52 per cent for several months now.
Since the vaccination process for 5-11-year-olds was introduced under two weeks ago, only 1,000 children have been vaccinated - a clear indicator that parents are exercising their right to choice.
In the US, the FDA determined the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in the 5-11 age group after reviewing a study of more than 4,600 children. Of this group, about 3,100 were given the Pfizer vaccine and the other children an inactive (placebo) shot. Children given the vaccine were monitored for side effects for at least 2 months after the second dose. Side effects were generally mild to moderate.
The FDA also took an early look at COVID-19 cases that occurred one week after children received a second dose of the vaccine. None of the children in this analysis had been previously diagnosed with COVID-19. Among 1,305 children given the vaccine, there were three COVID-19 cases while among 663 children given the placebo, there were 16 cases. The results suggest the vaccine is about 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 in this age group.
It is not news that the vaccines, which have been approved by the World Health Organisation and Pan American Health Organisation, provide immunity against COVID-19.
Similar to adults, children have side effects within two days after vaccination that typically last 1 to 3 days. Symptoms include headache, chills, muscle pain, fever, nausea and vomitting.
As part of its first request for emergency use authorisation of its vaccine in 2020, Pfizer Inc. created a safety monitoring plan which now includes monitoring children and adolescents who were given the vaccine.
In addition, in the US, all vaccination providers are required to report serious adverse events, such as allergic reactions, to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. This is something T&T does not have and perhaps should be considered by the Health Ministry, especially when it comes to children.
While there continues to be vaccine hesitancy, the vaccine remain the best protection against the virus and its variants.
COVID-19 deaths and cases may have declined in the past few months compared to the height of the pandemic a year ago, but it is still very active and is mutating.
No one can mandate that children or adults take the vaccine, at least not in T&T, but isn't having the protection safer than not having it at all? Yes, we understand there are divergent views and concern by some that it may not be necessary for children. But the protection of our children rests with adults and shouldn't they, as our future, be given a fighting chance?