Namibia has approved the vaccination of adolescent children between the ages of 12 to 17 against COVID-19.
This was announced by Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, on Friday during the 36th COVID-19 briefing, where he noted that the Pfizer vaccine is recommended for this age group.
He said current evidence suggests that children with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection, adding that prioritisation of those at risk of severe disease, hospitalisation and deaths is critical in the national COVID-19 response.
“Legal informed consent for vaccination of children shall be obtained from parents or guardians who opt to have their children vaccinated. The expansion of vaccination to this age group will be done in a phased approach, starting with adolescents 12-17 years who are at increased risk of severe illness, hospitalisation and death. However, all adolescents in this age group are encouraged to go for vaccination,” he noted.
Giving an update on the amendments to regulations, Shangula announced that public gatherings have been increased from the current number of 200 to 500 persons per event. All other public measures including sales of alcohol remain as is.
Shangula said the measures will be in force from 16 November to 15 December 2021 but if the epidemiological profile remains static, the measures will automatically be extended to 15 January 2022.
Touching on the issue of booster shots, Shangula said this has not been approved yet as government’s immediate priority is to continue to vaccinate the unvaccinated population to achieve the set targets before booster doses can be considered.
He said that as more data becomes available and evidence more conclusive, the ministry will provide updates, bearing in mind the vaccine supply and demand landscape, as well as the prioritisation framework that includes frontline healthcare workers, elderly and vulnerable persons/groups.
Shangula said research is ongoing to understand whether COVID-19 vaccines can be safely and effectively mixed and matched noting that, currently, the World Health Organisation does not recommend the mixing and matching of vaccines and it may only be considered in cases of shortage of vaccines.
He said even in the event of a shortage of vaccine in a particular jurisdiction, WHO only recommends the mixing of AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
