The coordinator of the national vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, states that for the 12-15 age group the vaccination coverage rate is about 3.5%, and for 16-19 years – about 18%, admitting that the percentage is small. He points out that one reason for young people’s vaccination reluctance is the risk of myocarditis, but explains that it is six times higher in young people going through COVID-19 than after vaccination. Gheorghiţă states that two cases of myocarditis have been reported in Romania in 17-year-old boys, both with a favorable evolution.
Gheorghiţă stated that, personally, he wants the school to start physically in September, with two school-age children.
“Between 12-15 years, the vaccination coverage rate is around 3.5% and at 16-19 years it was about 17-18%. Of course it is small (percentage of vaccinated – no), I bet on the fact that many they go on holiday with their parents, they are summer activities, holidays (…) but I think that in the next period – and this is our message and even today I had a discussion with Mr. Sorin Cîmpeanu, the Minister of Education, through which to have the same common message, namely that we want as many parents as possible, grandparents to be vaccinated and implicitly to protect their children “, said Valeriu Gheorghiţă, on Friday evening , the Digi 24.
He reminded that there are two authorized vaccines for teenagers – BioNTech Pfizer and Moderna, starting Monday.
“One of the factors that kept vaccination in place among young people was related to that signal of cardiac inflammation, myocarditis. There are recently published data that show as clearly as possible that after SARS-CoV-2 infection, so after COVID- 19, the risk of myocarditis in young men under the age of 20 is six times higher than the risk of myocarditis that occurs after vaccination. it is a mistake, “the vaccination campaign coordinator added.
Gheoghiţă specified that in Romania two cases of myocarditis were reported in this age category, in two 17-year-old boys, both cases having a favorable evolution. The two cases were reported from a total of vaccinated people in the 12-19 age group.
He argued that it is important for parents and grandparents to be vaccinated, as they come into contact with more people than children.
Asked if he would wear a protective mask at school, Gheorghiţă replied: “Probably yes. Being closed spaces and crowds of people, these are important elements that have been shown to limit the risk of infection among those living in closed communities “.
Asked about other side effects among young people, Gheoghiţă spoke about an “extremely atypical” case of a 22-year-old man who developed Multi-Systemic Inflammatory Syndrome. “These are extremely rare cases (…) mostly in people with a history of SARS-CoV-2,” he explained, noting that no clear causality has been established between the vaccine and the syndrome.
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