YOGYAKARTA – The situation of children at this time of increasing transmission of Covid-19 is really on the edge. The number of child deaths continues to rise but vaccines, the single strongest bulwark against Covid-19, have yet to be tested for use in children.
Not long ago, the Chairperson of the Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) Prof. Aman Bhakti Pulungan said that Covid-19 cases in children in the country rose by 11-12 percent. Even during the pandemic, the number of deaths of children under five increased by 50 percent or there were 1000 deaths in children every week.
UGM Epidemiologist dr. Citra Indriani, MPH said that from the very beginning, children have a risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2.
He said that in DIY the first cases of Covid-19 were in children. However, at the beginning of the pandemic, existing knowledge about this viral infection in children indicated that the symptoms that occurred in children were moderate to severe.
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“Our knowledge is not yet complete for this virus, so it is still developing, moreover the virus also undergoes mutations and causes changes in its character,” said Citra, Friday (25/6).
He admitted that the current vaccines are not recommended for children because all vaccines when they are used must be tested first for their efficacy, whether they provide benefits or not, even in an emergency.
“At this time, we are still waiting for the results of clinical trials in groups of children before we can give them to children,” he said.
Although there is already a vaccine that has been recommended by WHO SAGE (Strategic Advisory Group of Experts) for those over 12 years old, namely Pfizer/Biontech. However, so far, children have not been a priority globally, but with the development of the situation and the scientific evidence collected, according to him, there may be new recommendations and will change policies.
“Again, our weapons are at the prokes, eating together with people other than outside the house is very risky, because it’s the same as taking off masks and of course chatting and this if we see there are still many who do it. Children can be protected when we grow up, his parents, caregivers also run the prokes strictly,” he added.
The current condition of the increasing spike in Covid-19 cases, adults are expected to comply with health protocols because they are the source of the cluster. Not only that, he is also worried that if face-to-face learning begins at school, it will exacerbate the number of cases of Covid-19 in children. “I think in areas with high transmission it is appropriate to postpone face-to-face school activities,” he said.
In the midst of the absence of an effective vaccine for children to prevent the transmission of the Covid-19 virus, Citra emphasized that the implementation of procedures for children and strict procedures from parents is actually expected as the last weapon to protect children from exposure to corona virus infections.
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“The 3T process (test, tracing, treatment) is not to protect children, but it is the child’s process and the parent’s process that protects it,” he concluded.
(YK/N-3)
Editor : Marcellus Widiarto
Author : Eko S
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