It makes sense to support the vaccination of Guyana’s children

Dear Editor,
Yet again, I am forced to commend the Ministry of Health for being at the forefront of health issues, especially in the area of COVID-19. I note that “…the vaccination of children 5 to 11 (is set) to commence on Saturday. And my hope is that the occasion will be maximised. The word is that “Immunisation of children, between the ages of five to 11 will commence on (this) Saturday, following the arrival of 52,800 doses of COVID paediatric vaccine from the Government of Spain.” It will undoubtedly be hard work for Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony and Education Minister Priya Manickchand, and I hope that they will be well supported and that parents and guardians will make the most of this opportunity. So I will share a few comments, hoping to encourage our adults to be very careful with the health and well-being of our children.
First, we need to realise that childhood vaccines or immunisations can seem overwhelming for many new parents. But I remind them all that vaccine schedules are fully recommended and practised by agencies and organisations all over the world, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is right behind these kinds of activities. The reason is very simple and straightforward. It is that vaccinations not only protect children from deadly diseases such as polio, tetanus, and diphtheria, but they also keep other children safe, by eliminating or greatly decreasing dangerous diseases that can be spread from child to child.
I add that the benefits of vaccination include less time away from school or activities, with positive impacts on the physical and mental health of the children. Vaccination is the way for children to get back to their activities, time with friends and families, and other things that they enjoy.
According to Dr. Anthony, “…from the 65,000 and counting persons who contracted the virus, about one-third were children. As such, children are at risk if they do not take the COVID shots.” For this exercise planned for the weekend, parents need to give consent, if success will be reaped. As a given, the Minister explained that, “We cannot go and vaccinate a child without parental permission. When we start the vaccination process on Saturday at the tarmac of the [National] Cultural Centre, one of the things we would like is for parents to bring their children and give permission, so that we can do the vaccination.”
This kick-off, if successful, and hopefully it will be so, will help Guyana achieve the targets set out by the World Health Organization.
I doubt if anyone would refute that “One of the best ways of reducing COVID in Guyana (and the world at large) is to make sure that we get people vaccinated. The WHO has set certain targets in terms of vaccination, and we are working to achieve those targets.” This is what Dr. Anthony rightly stated, and I am with him all the way.
In terms of schooling, I am glad that Education Minister Priya Manickchand is also behind the drive to get the children into a safe zone. She pointed out that we can glean from basic figures that vaccination for the children is the way to go. She noted that by “just looking…at the data, it says to us very clearly that vaccines work to prevent spread and serious illnesses… (and so) “To all the parents, vaccines will continue to be voluntary, and we are not insisting that anyone take the vaccine, but we’re encouraging you strongly to pay attention to the data. One is less likely to get severely ill if they are inoculated against this disease.”
I close with a simple caveat that even though, over the years, vaccines have indeed generated controversies over safety, there is no convincing evidence of harm being found. And although children can have a reaction to any vaccine, the important thing to know is that the benefits of vaccinations far outweigh the possible side effects.

Yours truly,
H Singh