PAHO warns that the priority of vaccination is not children

Latin American countries that have begun to vaccinate children and young people without having previously achieved a high immunization rate among adults and the most vulnerable sectors could be dispersing their efforts, the Pan American Health Organization said on Wednesday.

If a country begins to offer vaccines for everyone and does not focus on priority groups, “we may not be using vaccines in the best way,” warned PAHO Deputy Director Jarbas Barbosa.

“The problem is not really low vaccination in children or no vaccination in children. It is that we still do not reach the vaccination of vulnerable groups to end mortality from COVID and vaccinate adults, all adults, to reduce transmission. That is the great priority ”, he assured.

Barbosa’s comments at a PAHO virtual press conference took place at a time when many countries in the region have begun to immunize minors, even though they have not achieved high vaccination rates among priority sectors. PAHO, however, did not specify which countries are.

In Guatemala, where according to PAHO less than 20% of the population is vaccinated, children and adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age are being immunized. Among other countries that have begun to vaccinate children are Argentina and Colombia, those over three years of age; Cuba, with its own doses, to minors from the age of two; Peru, from the age of 15; El Salvador, from the age of six, and Venezuela, from the age of 12.

In Chile, where 89.9% of those over 18 years of age are fully vaccinated, 80.47% of those under 6 to 17 years of age already have a first dose.

In Brazil, which has not yet finished vaccinating adults, adolescents are being inoculated, although the federal government initially resisted due to the death of a child under 16 years of age. The issue reached the Supreme Court and then the national government returned to include them in its plan.

In Mexico, where at least 83% of adults have received a dose, the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks authorized the use of the Pfizer vaccine for people over 12 years of age since June, but the national vaccination plan only applies in the present from 18 years.

The authorities have indicated that they hope to complete the vaccination of adults and then decide whether to extend the process to minors. Several hundred parents have filed protection actions since August to vaccinate their children, but not all judges have approved them.

With a handful of exceptions, including the Dominican Republic and Belize, throughout the Americas the pandemic has improved and for the eighth consecutive week the cases have dropped to just over 745,000 in the last seven days. Recorded COVID-19 deaths were 18,000.

PAHO has attributed the improvement to the implementation of sanitary measures and the increase in immunization, despite inequalities between countries and obstacles to accessing doses.

1.2 billion doses have been applied throughout the region and 46% of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean is fully immunized.

At the country level, a handful of nations in the region have fully immunized more than 70% of their population. The vast majority have only vaccinated an average of 40% and there are still countries like Haiti, Nicaragua and Guatemala that have not even reached 20%.

Barbosa explained that some countries have not yet achieved a high coverage of between 80% and 90% with the two doses for those over 60 years of age, who are from the priority groups.

“So, until that vaccination is completed, starting to offer vaccines for young adults, for example, can disperse efforts, lose priority for those people who really should get vaccinated first,” he said.

“Only later should countries consider vaccinating youth groups,” said the official, after explaining that for now there is no evidence that vaccinating students should be a requirement to open schools.

PAHO has urged countries to prioritize vaccination among the elderly, health workers and people with diseases, not only to protect them but also to avoid a collapse of health systems with severe cases of coronavirus.

It has also indicated that the booster doses should go to immunocompromised people, such as cancer, HIV and organ transplant patients, and to those over 60 years of age who were inoculated with the Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccines.

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