BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO
THE Ministry of Health and Medical Services is calling on family members above 18 years old to get vaccinated to “protect your children against the virus”.
This call was echoed by Dr Yogesh Choudhri, senior advisor to Ministry of Health, during a radio talkback show.
“To protect our children it is important that we take the vaccine because ones we take the vaccine we are less likely to get the infections and we are less likely to pass on the infection to our children.
“So this is one of the reasons that we should take the vaccine because the vaccine may not be available for children less than 18 years old,” Choudhri said.
He stressed, the time to take the vaccine in Solomon Islands is now and if a person do that there is enough for your immune system to create antibodies.
Choudhri said for now there is only one vaccine that is approved by World Health Organisation (WHO) to be use for adolescents 12 years and above, that vaccine is the Pfizer vaccine.
“The AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines we have can only be used for people 18 years and above.”
Dr Nemia Bainavalu, chair to COVID-19 vaccine Technical Working Group (TWG), said:
“When you have the protection for yourself the possibility of transferring the virus to your family will be reduced. But if you have the possibility to spread it to family you affect your family and possible affecting the public as well.
“Hence our theme, protects yourself, protect your family and protect your country,” Bainivalu said
