The Ministry of Health of the Nation decided to incorporate into the vaccination strategy against Covid-19 the booster dose for adolescents aged 12 to 17 yearswhich has already begun to be applied in the provinces of Cordoba, Neuquen and San Juanand which will begin shortly in the province of Buenos Airesa few weeks before the start of the 2022 school year.
The measure had been recommended by the National Immunization Commission (CoNaIn) on January 26.
“As in the elderly, with a minimum interval of 4 months (120 days) from the application of the last dose of the initial scheme, the incorporation of the booster dose in this age group has the objective of prolonging the protective effect of the initial vaccination schedule in the face of the current epidemiological situation, with the exponential increase in cases and the introduction of new variants with greater transmissibility,” the health portfolio said in a statement.
In the text, the undersecretary of Health Strategies, Juan Manuel Castelli, indicated that “in addition to directly providing protection to people between 12 and 17 years of age, vaccinating adolescents helps protect children under 3 years of age who do not You can still vaccinate other family members who might be at higher risk of getting seriously ill.”
The vaccines authorized for use in Argentina are those developed by the Pfizer and Moderna laboratories -both mRNA- and as shown by the results of their use in this age group (88% of this population have already been vaccinated with one dose and 71 % with both), present adequate levels of safety and efficacy.
“What’s more, They allow progress in the objectives of reducing morbidity and mortality and collaborating in the strategy of containing the pandemic influencing viral transmission,” said the portfolio.
This measure is taken with a view to the start of the school year and, according to the Ministry, “contributes to guaranteeing full and careful attendance at schoolin addition to allowing this population to participate more safely in sports activities, games and other group activities that are appropriate for their age”.
Vaccines against Covid-19 can be applied together with the rest of the vaccines of the National Vaccination Calendar.
On Tuesday, the provinces of San Juan, Neuquén and Córdoba reported that they began with the application of booster doses in adolescents, while in the province of Buenos Aires they reported that they began to send shifts this Wednesday.
