Belarus starts vaccinating children against COVID

The first young patient has got a COVID vaccination jab at Minsk’s polyclinic No. 6 today

Roman Pavlovets is 16 and he has officially become the first child in the country to be vaccinated against coronavirus. The boy explains his decisions, “In February, I'm going to the European Thai Boxing Championship in Turkey as part of the national team. The organisers warned that I need to get vaccinated or constantly take a PCR test. I decided it’s more convenient to get vaccinated. Moreover, the drug would protect me against the virus. I had COVID a year ago without serious complications but I still know how unpleasant the disease is.”

The guy's mother, Irina, admits: she had no worries. “I primarily asked my son of whether he was ready. I also consulted with his coach, and he gave the go-ahead. His trainees have already been vaccinated with the Chinese vaccine, and they are ok. The drug has not also affected results of the competition,” the lady says.

As explained by Yekaterina Yanushchik, the Head of the Department of Medical Care for Mothers and Children at the Minsk City Executive Committee’s Healthcare Committee, children older than 12 can now be vaccinated in Belarus. “We use the Chinese Vero Cell vaccine for this. Vaccination will take place at all children's polyclinics and hospitals in Minsk. The situation is exactly the same across the country. Before vaccination, parents must sign a consent stating that they are aware of possible adverse reactions or complications. Let's hope that the vaccination campaign will not differ from the campaign against the flu,” she adds.

The specialist notes that children are a specific category: during the first COVID wave, they almost never suffered from coronavirus but now are quite often taken to hospital. They represent a risk group and can transmit the infection to their family members. Accordingly, vaccination is important: it will make it possible to create an immune layer among children and prevent a further increase in the COVID-19 incidence.

Anna Kotova, the Chief Physician of polyclinic No. 6, notes, “We start vaccinating children aged 12 and older since their organisms are stronger and ready to produce an adequate immune response. I think vaccination will develop at a good pace, as parents asked us a year ago when the campaign among children would be launched. People – who have faced the dangers of coronavirus – know the price of life.”