Binh Duong to simultaneously vaccinate against Covid-19 for 13- and 14-year-old children

In two days, 10 and 11 November, more than 26,700 students of 9th grades (14 years old) in the whole province and more than 12,600 students in 8th grades (13 years old) in Thu Dau Mot city, Ben Cat town and Tan Uyen town were vaccinated against Covid-19. 128 vaccination sites were opened on November 10. Currently, there have been no cases of severe reactions after vaccination.

Medical workers give Covid-19 jabs to students of 8th and 9th grades at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai junior high schoo in Phu Tho Ward, Thu Dau Mot City.

To seriously prepare all stages

At injection point of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Junior High School in Phu Tho Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, on the morning of November 10, the rCovid-19 vaccination was carried out for more than 800 students of 8th and 9th grades according to the plan that had been set up. Vaccination sites were arranged on the principle of one-way. In particular, resuscitation - emergency sections were arranged to promptly handle cases of severe reactions after injection. Pre-injection screening was strictly and fully implemented according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health.

Previously, health workers were also trained to inject Covid-19 vaccines to teens aged 12 to 17 to ensure safety, effectiveness and not to waste vaccines. Tu Quoc Thanh, Principal of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Junior High School, said: “In order for the vaccination plan to take place safely and thoughtfully, the school mobilized all teachers and staff to support the vaccination work; informed students to go to school for vaccination at different time frames to avoid crowded gatherings, keep a safe distance to prevent and control the epidemic. The school also proactively prepared parental and vaccination consent forms for students to fill out at home. Therefore, vaccination at school took place quite conveniently, quickly and safe. At the moment, the school has not recorded any case of severe reaction after injection.

Injection site of Tan Phuoc Khanh Junior High School, Tan Uyen Town, this time vaccinated more than 1,100 students in grades 8 and 9. The school cooperated with medical staff to arrange one-way aisles. All students arriving at the injection site had to check their body temperature and were guided to injection waiting area. After that, they were carefully screened before being injected. If a student has a cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, the injection will not be given. After the injection, the students returned to waiting areas and monitor their health for about 30 minutes and then went home.

No serious reactions after injection have been recorded.

To promote effectiveness and safe vaccination for children, the province has used the existing expanded immunization system. Health centers of districts, towns and cities are the central points to carry out the Covid-19  vaccination plan in the area. According to information of Department of Health, during this campaign, the whole province vaccinated more than 39,401 students with Covid-19 vaccine, including 26,746 students of grades 9 and 12,655 students of grades 8 with the total number of 39,401 doses of Pfizer vaccine expected to be injected. Firstly, 8th-grade students of three localities, Thu Dau Mot city, Ben Cat town and Tan Uyen town, were vaccinated .

The health authority is expected to complete the first dose vaccination for students in two days (November 10 and 11), and on November 12 will vaccinate students who have delayed vaccination and have underlying diseases. Accordingly, the number of Pfizer vaccines distributed by the province in this phase includes: 1,586 doses to Phu Giao District, 1,242 doses Bau Bang District, 791 doses North Tan Uyen District, 1,583 doses Dau Tieng District, 6,989 doses Ben Cat Town, 5,468 doses Di An City, Tan Uyen Town 6,697 doses, Thuan An City 4,973 doses, Thu Dau Mot City 39,401 doses.

Nguyen Hong Chuong, Director of Provincial Department of Health, informed that so far, the department has not recorded any cases of children under 18 years of age with severe reactions after being vaccinated against Covid-19. Previously, the province had injected 76,192 doses of Pfizer against Covid-19 to children aged 15-17 years old and had not recorded any cases of severe reactions after injection. Dr. Nguyen Hong Chuong also said that nearly 40 countries around the world have given Pfizer vaccination for children under 18 years old, including 19 European countries, 6 countries in the Americas and some other countries in the Asia region. Recording reactions after injection are very safe for children.

After receiving the Covid-19 vaccines, children may experience symptoms such as: Pain and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, chills, and nausea all over the body. These are normal reactions to any vaccine. Parents can relieve pain and discomfort for children by applying a clean, cool and wet towel on the injection site, with gentle arm movements. Parents need to let their children drink a lot of water, eat fruit, monitor the child 24 hours after vaccination and immediately contact the nearest medical center for support if the child has an abnormal reaction. Children are vaccinated, but parents also need to continue to remind their children to strictly follow the "5K" principle of the Ministry of Health to protect the health of themselves, their families and society against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Reported by Hoang Linh - Translated by Ngoc Huynh