ISLAMABAD: A National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) sub-committee on Thursday approved the Sinopharm and Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines for children aged 12 to 17 and will begin the rollout from November 15 — the second vaccine after Pfizer available for younger children in Pakistan.
“Now, these vaccines will also be available in addition to already-approved Pfizer” for children above 12, the body tweeted.
Chinese vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovac have been approved by NCOC Health Expert Committee for administration to children above 12 years of age from 15 November onwards. Now, these vaccines will also be available in addition to already approved Pfizer for children above 12 yrs.
— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) November 11, 2021
Vaccines for children have been seen as crucial for protecting kids from the virus as well as slowing its spread, in addition to reducing the social and educational effects of school closing and attendance — and related economic concerns, such as caregivers’ ability to work.
The advisers weighed the vaccines’ effectiveness, the social and physical effects of the pandemic, and the potential risk of rare side-effects like myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation.
Several advisers repeatedly pointed to the importance of vaccinating children in order to reduce cases throughout the country. While it is not yet clear how well the vaccine keeps children from transmitting the virus, data among vaccinated adults shows this is likely, and reducing the number of overall Covid cases through vaccination would help reduce spread.
“Children likely play an important role in transmission, and vaccinating children can help reach herd immunity,” said William Gruber, head of vaccination development at Pfizer.
Earlier, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who also heads the NCOC, said more than 50 percent of students between the ages of 12 and 18 nationwide have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
“Total students vaccinated so far exceeds 5.5 million. GB leads the way with 68% and Punjab is second with 62%,” he tweeted.
