Vaccines for children in the age group of 6-11 years have started to be given. The Covid-19 vaccination is given so that children in this age group are also protected from Coronavirus attacks. However, before being vaccinated, there are several things that must be considered and prepared, one of the important things is to make sure the child’s condition is okay. Parents have an important role in the success of vaccination for children since parental assistance for children to undergo the Covid-19 vaccination process is needed. It is easier for officers to know the health conditions of the children.

“One of the precautions to provide protection against infection to minimize the risk of infection of Covid-19, between adults and children is the same by giving vaccinations. The purpose of vaccination is as initial protection, so if a child is accidentally in contact with someone with a Covid-19 infection, the child already has an initial guard to ward off the infection. If illness occurs and the child is sick, the symptoms will not be severe because they have been vaccinated. We will continue to provide this protection to children because children have the same risk of exposure to infection as adults. All types of Covid-19 variants can harm humans regardless of age and vaccination is the main pillar to provide a protective effect in addition to implementation of health protocols,” said dr. Galuh Hardaningsih, M.Si.Med.,Sp.A(K), Pediatrician of Diponegoro National Hospital (RSND), Diponegoro University.

dr. Galuh said that in determining a new medicine or a new vaccine the researchers have to complete a series of stages. It was initially intended for adults and those who have a high risk with the possibility of serious complications. Then, research developed for children aged 12 to 18 years, clinical trials were carried out to have good enough efficacy to produce antibodies and optimal memory cells to provide initial protection against Covid-19 infection. The next stage is of course for the younger group of children, namely the second age group (6-11 years) and in several countries it has been tested well. The vaccine is permitted by BPOM and will be distributed in Indonesia starting in the mid of December 2021.

“A child may be vaccinated after going through the screening stage to make sure that there are no contraindications for immunization and the child is in good condition. If fever occurs and it is more than 37.5 degrees Celsius, of course the child is not allowed to vaccinate. Children who have special diseases such as autoimmune, children with impaired immunity from the start and children with diabetes mellitus are also not allowed to be vaccinated,” she said.

“After vaccination, most people will probably experience a reaction with fever symptoms or pain symptoms at the injection point, actually the reaction is almost the same as other immunizations. However, if a child has experienced a very severe allergic reaction after certain immunizations, for example after measles, influenza, and other immunizations, we will consider not giving immunization recommendations,” continued dr. Galuh.

“Currently the Covid-19 vaccination is available for children in the age group of 6 -11 years and 12-18 years, so parents should not hesitate to give and support vaccinations for children as an effort to prevent Covid-19 infection. There have been clinical trials with a very long process and the level of protection efficacy and safety has been determined. So we don’t need to hesitate to get vaccinated,” she concluded. (Lin – Public Relations)

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