Training Minister pronounces seven vaccine websites
Children aged 12 and over can receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting this weekend, Education Minister Santia Bradshaw announced on Wednesday.
The Pfizer mRNA jab, the leading pandemic fighter in the United States, where it was approved by its Food and Drug Administration this week, is slated to launch on Friday.
“After meeting with public health officials from the Department of Health and Wellness and several parent-teacher associations, as well as the umbrella organization, the National Council for Parent-Teacher Associations, I want to announce that Barbados is ready to join the introduction of. to begin the Pfizer vaccine for all children ages 12 to 18, ”revealed Bradshaw.
Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for use in children.
After Barbados received a shipment of 70,000 doses of Pfizer, a US government donation, on Aug. 13, both Education Secretary and Prime Minister Mia Mottley said there would be consultations before a decision was made to vaccinate children .
On Wednesday, Bradshaw noted that some of the island’s leading pediatricians have already expressed their full support for giving the vaccine to adolescents and teenage children, giving priority to children with chronic illnesses, especially those with special needs.
Bradshaw said doctors agreed that the vaccine would take another level of protection for the Barbadian population from the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
“As the only vaccine to date that has been approved by the [United States] Centers for Disease Control, the Pfizer vaccine will undoubtedly give us the opportunity to protect our students aged 12-18 so that they can return to face-to-face classes in the coming months, “said the Minister of Education.
The Pfizer vaccine will be available to students between 12 and 18 years old in seven locations: Harrison College, Princess Margaret, St. Leonards Secondary, Parkinson Secondary, the Christ Church Foundation School, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in St. Peter and the Sharon Moravian Church Hall in Jackson, St. Michael.
Each center would be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and registration begins upon arrival.
Bradshaw said the department will gradually equip and open additional centers over the coming weeks to reach every eligible child.
“I would like to emphasize that there is absolutely no need to go too far from the community where you live. In other words, every church will at some point have a center that you can reach, ”she said.
Minister Bradshaw again urged the Barbadians to continue the fight against COVID-19 by getting vaccinated to protect themselves and those around them.
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