The ministers of Health from all over the country defined strategies “to maximize vaccination coverage and recommendations for a safe return to the classroom” before the proximity of the start of the 2022 school year.
Within the framework of a new virtual meeting of the Federal Health Council (Cofesa), the Minister of Health of the Nation, Carla Vizzotti, and her peers from the 24 jurisdictions of the country also cThey agreed, based on the epidemiological situation and the progress of the vaccination plan against the coronavirus, “the update of the clinical and epidemiological criteria for the confirmation of cases of Covid-19”.
“This meeting is key to be able to review the epidemiological situation and carry out a joint analysis of this third wave with a predominance of the Omicron variant,” Vizzotti explained, while highlighted the importance of establishing an update of the clinical and epidemiological criteria for the confirmation of Covid-19 cases, taking into account that “this wave has a very different dynamic and requires us to make decisions in a timely manner”.
“This meeting is key to review the epidemiological situation and carry out a joint analysis of this third wave with a predominance of the Omicron variant”Carla Vizzetti
He said that those decisions must be made, “always keeping in mind that each jurisdiction can adapt the criteria according to its epidemiological situation”.
The meeting also informed the representatives of the country’s health portfolios about the agreement reached with the Pfizer laboratory for the acquisition of 18.5 million vaccines against Covid-19 and the recent authorization by Anmat for its application in the population. from 5 to 11 years.
In this regard, it was made clear that “the pediatric formulation is 10 mcg and that, although the active ingredient is the same as those currently used in the population aged 12 years or older, there are differences in the buffer, the concentration, the volume of the final dose and the number of doses per vial”.
Therefore, it was reported that “it is necessary to await the availability of pediatric vaccines, which will arrive between February and March, to begin applying them in this population.”
Vizzotti had announced on Thursday that the Anmat approved the vaccine against the coronavirus from the Pfizer laboratory for its application in children between 5 and 11 years old,
In relation to the update of the clinical and epidemiological criteria for the confirmation of cases of Covid-19, it was established that “Any person who meets at least one of the epidemiological criteria and one of the established clinical criteria will be classified as a confirmed case.”
“Schemas are being completed and vaccination coverage is being achieved, which is very high and continues to rise”Carla Vizzetti
protocols
Thus, “any person who has had close contact with a confirmed case in the last 10 days; or who has participated in an event or social/work space in which there have been at least 3 confirmed cases (outbreak); or who lives in an area with a very high incidence (greater than 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days) and presenting two or more symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, vomiting/diarrhea/headache/ muscle pain) or sudden loss of taste/smell, it will be considered a confirmed case of this disease”.
The minister highlighted during the meeting the “immense progress in vaccination that is reflected both in the application of reinforcements, we are already reaching 8 million, and in the application of new first doses”.
“Schemas are being completed and vaccination coverage is being achieved, which is very high and continues to rise,” he added.
Also, he highlighted all the actions carried out by the jurisdictions to bring the vaccine closer to the population, extramural activities, vaccination on beaches, at events, in neighborhoods, at night.
“There really is a lot of proactivity and a very large acceptance by the population and that is something that we have to value and, of course, sustain in order to move forward quickly with those we have left,” he said.
