Kavango East leads in vaccinating teens
… as Covid inoculation campaign turns one year
Namibia’s vaccination campaign against the coronavirus, which kicked off on 19 March 2021, initially faced hesitancy, a lack of vaccines and mistrust.
Hesitancy, fuelled by misinformation, has now evolved into resistance and distrust. The recent drop in infections also contributed to fewer people getting vaccinated.
In a recent interview with this publication, Kavango East regional health director John Kapumburu was concerned and worried about the influence that teachers have on learners when it comes to spreading conspiracy theories.
“Teachers at some schools are influencing learners and this has turned into a big challenge. Learners believe everything teachers say. Some churches are also doing the same and telling congregants not to be inoculated,” he was quoted as saying.
Kavango East has recorded the highest number to date of 908 teenagers who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 since the government decided to include the 12 to 17 age bracket as eligible for inoculation.
Based on the latest Covid-19 update by the health ministry, Kavango West comes in second place with 589 while the central region has recorded 518 children who have been vaccinated against Covid-19. Ohangwena has only recorded one teen while Zambezi inoculated five.
The health ministry late last year directed that 12 to 17-year-olds can get inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine, with only 12 and 13-yearolds needing parental consent while the 14 to 17 age group can give consent themselves and get jabbed.
“So far, 10 712 children aged 12 to 17 years have received one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, representing 3.5% of the target population (307 298). Of these, 3 021 are fully vaccinated,” stated health minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula.
By 15 March 2022, 378 886 adults have completed their vaccination, translating to 26% of the target population. The cumulative number of people vaccinated with the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for both adults and children is 449 018, of which 381 907 are fully vaccinated, translating to 21.5% of the total target population (1 779 271).
This is one-third of the WHO recommended population coverage of 60% to achieve national herd immunity.
Shangula said of the 18 positive cases reported yesterday, seven are learners and one is a student. The vaccine is administered in two doses. Each dose is 0.3 ml. The second dose is given 21 days after the first dose.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended the Pfizer vaccine and deemed it suitable for use by persons 12 and older.
The line ministry welcomed the scientific breakthrough and decided to expand vaccination eligibility to children and adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old.
Meanwhile, WHO’s interim statement on Covid-19 vaccination for children and adolescents states that they said the group usually demonstrate fewer and milder symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to adults and are less likely than adults to experience severe Covid-19.
The statement further says milder symptoms and asymptomatic presentations may mean less frequent care seeking in these groups, thus children and adolescents tend to be tested less and cases may go unreported.
“Several risk factors for severe Covid-19 in children have been reported recently, including older age, obesity, and pre-existing conditions. The pre-existing conditions associated with a higher risk of severe Covid-19 include type 2 diabetes, asthma, heart and pulmonary diseases, and neurologic, neurodevelopmental (in particular, Down Syndrome) and neuromuscular conditions,” reads the statement.
WHO believes vaccinating children and adolescents may also help advance other highly valued societal goals. Maintaining education for all school-aged children should be an important priority during this pandemic.
“School attendance is critical to the well-being and life prospects of children and parental participation in the economy. Vaccinating school-aged children may help minimise school disruptions by reducing the number of infections at school and the number of children required to miss school because of quarantine requirements,” explains WHO.
At the recent national Covid-19 update, President Hage Geingob said, “It not only reduces individual chances of developing severe illness, hospitalisation and death but can also help to restore economic activity, particularly in the adversely affected tourism sector.”