The countries of the Americas must guarantee the return to schools in pursuit of child welfare, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday, ruling out that high rates of anti-Covid vaccination among children are necessary for this.
“The first and most important thing that countries can try to do for children is to get them to return to school safely to protect their social, mental and physical well-being,” PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said at a press conference.
“Virtual learning does not and cannot replace face-to-face education,” he emphasized.
Etienne highlighted that millions of children in the Americas have not returned to classrooms due to the Covid-19 pandemic and are facing “the worst educational crisis” recorded in the region.
“With each day that children go without going to school in person, the greater the likelihood that they will drop out and never return to school, which has lifelong consequences,” he warned.
According to the guidelines of PAHO, the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of masks, social distancing and adequate ventilation allow children to return to educational centers safely.
“High vaccination rates among children are not a prerequisite for the reopening of schools,” Etienne stressed.
PAHO said that before vaccinating healthy children against COVID-19, countries need to have high immunization coverage among those most at risk of illness and death from the virus, such as the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions.
Once vulnerable groups are protected, “countries should consider the benefits of vaccinating children to further reduce transmission” of Covid-19, Etienne said.
Many countries in the Americas have already authorized and are administering anticovid vaccines to children.
PAHO deputy director Jarbas Barbosa said that the WHO has not yet approved a vaccine against Covid-19 for children.
However, he recalled that the group of immunization experts that advises the WHO recommended last week the use of Pfizer’s anticovid vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years of age.
