Received, half of the contracted vaccines for children 5 to 11 years old

Laura Poy Solano and Carolina Gómez Mena

Newspaper La Jornada
Sunday, July 3, 2022, p. 8

Less than a week after the start of vaccination for children between the ages of five and 11 in 11 states of the country, more than 4 million doses of the pediatric biological have arrived in the national territory, that is, 50 percent of the contract with Pfizer-BioNtech announced by the Ministry of Health (Ssa).

As happened in other age groups during the National Vaccination Strategy, this week it was reported that in some centers there was a shortage of the product due to saturation in demand, mainly in Mexico City, due to the assistance of children from other entities.

However, agency sources denied that there shortage, since it is expected that this population group is 15 million 424 thousand 170 minors, and everyone will be able to access their vaccineso a possible insufficiency in access to the biological intended for the child population, mainly school-age children, is ruled out.

Last week pediatric vaccines began to arrive in the country.

The first shipment arrived June 23, with 804 thousand; the second, a day later with one million 200 thousand doses. On June 29, the third landed, with one million 200 thousand and on July 1, 798 thousand arrived. In total, so far they add up to 4 million two thousand units.

On the other hand, Pedro Hernández Morales, director of the Centauro del Norte primary school and leader of the dissident teachers in Mexico City, indicated that with the vaccination campaign, class attendance, which was already low after the delivery of qualifications, decreased even more, because the schools have insisted with the parents on the importance that they take their children to have the biological applied.

Enrique Enríquez, director of the Japan elementary school, indicated that in many schools It is known that these last weeks of the academic year are for review or recreational activities, and with the vaccination campaign, absenteeism will surely become more acute, because there is a lot of enthusiasm and information among parents about the importance that students are protected.

Some parents have decided not to send their children to school after inoculation, in order to monitor whether they develop reactions.

In Mexico City, immunization by age phases began this week.

First it was the 11-year-old, and as of July 4, it will be the turn of children who are 10 years old by July 8, for which 90,000 Pfizer-BioNtech pediatric immunizers were received.

On the first day of vaccination of children between 5 and 11 years old (June 27), in the 11 states where the campaign began, 146,699 units were applied.

In addition to Mexico City, the application of the biological began in Sinaloa, Baja California, Coahuila, Veraruz, Quintana Roo, Sonora, Tabasco, Morelos and Tlaxcala.