It is necessary to fully vaccinate COVID-19 vaccines to all middle and high school students when the schools have been reopened, said Vice-Chairman of the State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win at the coordination meeting to give COVID-19 vaccines to middle and high school students above 12 of Basic Education Department under the Ministry of Education at the hall of Bayintnaung Villa, Nay Pyi Taw, yesterday afternoon.
Speaking at the meeting, the Vice-Senior General said Myanmar is facing an 8.3 per cent infection rate of COVID-19 based on the 29 September data. So, efforts are being made to decline the infection rate from less than five per cent to the non-infection stage in line with the guidance of the Chairman of the Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of COVID-19 Chairman of the State Administration Council and the WHO. A plan was adopted to complete vaccination for 50 per cent of the people above 18 years at the end of December 2021.
Meetings are being held to emphasize the reopening of schools beyond the long October holidays with the aim of enabling the students to be free from infection of COVID-19 and learning education with health. It is necessary to fully vaccinate COVID-19 vaccines to all middle and high school students when the schools have been reopened. Only when vaccination has been completed will students, teachers and parents have mutual trust for teaching and learning.
Coordination is being conducted to produce the vaccines in the country through a ready-to-fill system to be able to produce them by 2021. Vaccinations can be given once six months without worries, and infection will be prevented to some extent. A plan is underway to raise cooperation among the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Red Cross Brigades, maternal and child welfare associations and women’s affairs organizations in the vaccination programme. Relevant region and state governments need to make preparations for vaccination programmes and to arrange the soonest vaccination through cooperation.
The Union Minister for SWRR, the Deputy Minister for Education and the Deputy Minister for Health discussed the plan to give assistance for vaccination, enrolment and attending of basic education students across the nation and the plan on vaccination of Sinovac vaccine.
In his response, the Vice-Senior General said data of the Ministry of Education must be adjusted with that of regions and states for vaccinating the students before reopening the schools. It is necessary to notify the parents of vaccinating the students and mention the notification at the vaccination centres. Departments need to coordinate with each other to compile the list of students without citizenship scrutiny cards.
Delta variant of COVID-19 in the third wave infected some children in some countries. Vaccination of Sinovac manufactured by China can protect the children against the virus and effectively reduce the severe impacts of the pandemic by minimizing side effects. So far, the Sinovac vaccine has been administered to the children and youths — 63 million children and youths between the aged 3 and 17 in China, more than 1.1 million children and youths between the aged 12-17 in Chile and over 350,000 children and youths between aged 6-17 in Cambodia.
In his concluding speech, the Vice-Senior General stressed the need to submit the reports on strength of students, enrolment numbers and attending students in regions and states. The Tatmadaw and Myanmar Police Force need to systematically form the forces to take the security measures for the vaccination programmes. Region and state authorities need to review the completion of vaccination, remaining of vaccines and further plans depending on accepting the vaccine.
Delta variant of COVID-19 in the third wave infected some children in some countries. Vaccination of Sinovac manufactured by China can protect the children against the virus and effectively reduce the severe impacts of the pandemic by minimizing side effects. So far, the Sinovac vaccine has been administered to the children and youths — 63 million children and youths between the aged 3 and 17 in China, more than 1.1 million children and youths between the aged 12-17 in Chile and over 350,000 children and youths between aged 6-17 in Cambodia. — MNA
