Include youth in vaccination process

HIGHER HEALTH, the student and youth health and wellness agency of the Department of Higher Education and Training, supports the scienceoriented approach, clarity and transparency that the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has applied to the Covid-19 vaccination effort.

As the pandemic evolves, we must base our prevention and treatment strategies on current and forthcoming knowledge.

Viral evolution resulting from mutations is a known phenomenon. In order for Sars-CoV-2 to survive in a new vector (that is, within us humans), it keeps mutating to form new variants. In doing so, it tries to escape the human antibody response. The vaccine’s job is to produce an antibody response to defeat the virus while the variants keep trying to escape the developed antibodies to survive. This makes a vaccination strategy extremely difficult.

Sars-CoV-2 is not just smart – it’s not a one-size-fits-all virus. Some individuals who are infected truly suffer, some of them perish while many barely know they have it. Some may have Covid toe-andtongue, while most have a cough and aches. As a result, we have to exhaust all means to ensure we are protected from it. There are many uncertainties, but what remains consistent is that all hands must be on deck to provide aid where it is needed.

For our academic institutions, the burning issue is to protect this academic year while remaining agile to deal with the future waves. But as we have seen with the second wave and with the transmissible variants it is difficult to predict the future waves. This limits our postschool education sector institutions’ bility to follow the academic plans. We need to adapt to deal with its unpredictability.

South Africa’s vaccination plan is to reach 40 million people. HIGHER HEALTH will partner with the Department of Health to train volunteers in the post-school education sector to assist with administering the vaccine. Our resources and infrastructure have the buy-in from the youth with whom we have engendered trust.

With the majority of our elders still at risk and the high number of the population with comorbidities, our youth have become caregivers and helpers. They should be saluted for putting aside expectations, dreams and the independence associated with tertiary education. But Covid-19 has rewritten the social rulebook and the 501Y.V2 variant threatens our youth. To break the chain of infection, communication about the virus and the vaccination effort must include the youth.