By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
Infectious disease expert Dr Nikkiah Forbes has said vaccinating young children against COVID-19 will significantly reduce the disease’s transmission in the school setting.
This week, Health Minister Dr Michael Darville said the government is negotiating with the United States and other diplomatic channels to bring the Pfizer vaccine for children under the age of 12 years into the country.
He said vaccine uptake among children and teenagers will help pave the way to a safe reopening of schools. but stressed that the vaccine will only be made available to children should their parents request it.
Dr Forbes, director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme at the Ministry of Health, explained reasons why parents may want their children to be vaccinated.
She said there is the risk of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS) following acute COVID infection and the risk of severe disease in children with underlying medical problems. Then there is the general desire to prevent COVID-19 in children.
“So as it relates to the scientific study on the COVID-19 vaccine in this age group, the dose is lower for children and it’s age dependent and there is safety data from the clinical trial,” she said. “That safety data indicated that the experience was comparable in the 5 to 11 age group as that of 16 to 25-year-olds and the majority of the side effects are the most common side effects—mild fever, headache, and chills. And these were generally milder in the younger age group than the teenage 12 to 15 years of age.”
Minister of State for Education and Technical and Vocational Training Zane Lightbourne expressed previously the ministry’s hope for face-to-face learning to resume by the end of the year. He revealed that some 15,000 out of 50,000 students have “not been consistently identified on the system” as attending online classes.
Asked how children being vaccinated will help schools to be a bit safer, Dr Forbes replied: “With a paediatric COVID-19 vaccine indication, that can help to reduce children getting COVID and as we already discussed COVID-19 children can transmit COVID so that will help significantly reduce the chance of transmission in that setting.”
The US Food and Drug Administration has authorised the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children five through 11 years of age.
Comments
JokeyJack 2 years, 5 months ago
How can people be so sick in the mind to want to experiment on children?
bcitizen 2 years, 5 months ago
This is beyond sad. Dr Mengele would be most proud.
The_Oracle 2 years, 5 months ago
But wait, didn't one of the vaccines cause heart issues for some young people? And the vaccine does nothing to stop transmission, it just reduces the symptoms in those who are exposed and catch it. It could actually be said that those who are vaccinated and catch covid have no symptoms and therefore go out and about spreading it around!
FrustratedBusinessman 2 years, 5 months ago
I have had about a dozen of my family members catch COVID, not a single one ended up in the hospital. Some were "asymptomatic". Not a single one of them had a shot.
It makes zero difference whether you take this crap or not, COVID seemingly effects everyone differently. Colin Powell is dead and the shots sure didn't stop Jesse Jackson from getting pretty mashed up when he caught COVID.
Unfortunately, critical thinking skills are in short supply worldwide.
JokeyJack 2 years, 5 months ago
Correct. Powell died from blood cancer.
carltonr61 2 years, 5 months ago
Just sick.
whogothere 2 years, 5 months ago
Forbes you just lost what little respect you had…
FrustratedBusinessman 2 years, 5 months ago
Sickening. Even if these people are fortunate enough to escape earthly punishment, God will give them what they deserve when it is time to go to their eternal home.
carltonr61 2 years, 5 months ago
These necrophiliacs advocating placing a chemical in children's bodies not having any research data on forth stage Testing and damage to DNA might as well advise nicotine at least we know the cancerous outcome verses an unknown. Medical experiments on living human subjects is unethical at least they could be humane and test the Vax on poodles first. But no. Then there would be an outcry of cruelty to animals. None here for humans just a wait and see oh yea some may die from heart attacks but it may take one maybe five years we will record data after all it is Armageddon.
Dawes 2 years, 5 months ago
A total of 608 Children (0-18) have unfortunately died in the US since Covid Started. This is not a high enough number to justify vaccinating children. All studies show that it is better for them to get Covid then be vaccinated as their immunity is stronger. To say you want to vaccinate children to protect them is a lie. You are willing to risk any illness the children get to help protect those most at risk. Just have those most at risk get triple vaccinated, or vaccinated 100 times. Don't make the Children be forced to risk themselves for others.
carltonr61 2 years, 5 months ago
Bill Gates.
You know, we didn’t have vaccines that block transmission. We got vaccines that help you with your health, but they only slightly reduced transmission,” he said. “We need a new way of doing the vaccines.”
https://www.rt.com/news/539398-bill-g...">https://www.rt.com/news/539398-bill-g...
carltonr61 2 years, 5 months ago
When doctors don't listen to their master they recommend ignorance and deadly misinformation to the public. Plain medical stupidity. She should loose her liscence.
DDK 2 years, 5 months ago
Must we be sick like the U.S. over this covid farce?
tribanon 2 years, 5 months ago
This nutzoid (Forbes) has Communist Red China written all over her face. Would love to know how much she's receiving in medical research grants of one kind or another from international organisations controlled by Red China and/or corporate interests representing the Big Pharma vaccine producers and their bio-tech partners. She no doubt has many more conflicts of interest than a street potcake dog has fleas.
Forbes can jab her own children to her heart's content, assuming she has any children or a real heart for that matter. But she's certainly not going to get the opportunity to jab any of my school age grandchildren because my own children all too easily sense the evil she and others like her now exude.
sheeprunner12 2 years, 5 months ago
Forbes needs to answer WHY is it that these experimental Covid vaccines are still being used worldwide, despite the threshold of vaccine-related deaths being exceeded? This has not been the SOP in the history of vaccines & public health. What makes COVID-19 different from flu, smallpox, measles, diphtheria etc???? ..... Pray tell
Twocent 2 years, 5 months ago
Once upon a time….. Lead was ok in paint. OxyContin was an ok pain killer. Thalidomide stopped pregnancy sickness. Mercury was used in teeth. And the list goes on…and on..and on...until years later the data is in and …..(who pays the cost of the morbidity and mortality?) Trust in profit making companies and those they sponsor, fund, grant etc etc….is going through a long, and likely painful, death; but so are those they have milked and abused.
ohdrap4 2 years, 5 months ago
Well earlier on, she was on the radio saying that the fully vaccinated could have family gatherings.
And, she and Dr. Sands were the first to tell people to mix vaccines. Don't know where they got the science for that.
Now they ran out of astra zeneca and tell people to get pfizer second doser or booster.
Given that she recommended the mixing of vaccines, she will recommend any vaccine.
Will not be surprised if she recommends vaccines to babies over 6 months of age, which is the next thing they will do.
People already took to the streets in europe and Australia and they will not stop.
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