Pfizer COVID vaccines safe for children- Health Minister assures parents

Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony has assured parents that the US-made Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are safe for use in children, ahead of the vaccines expected rollout.

The Minister said this on Wednesday during his daily COVID-19 update.

Guyana is expected to receive 100,000 doses of the US-made Pfizer vaccines in September. These vaccines will be administered to children aged 12 to 18 and are an integral part to the reopening of schools.

Already, the Ministry of Education has started distributing consent forms. These forms will allow parents to grant their permission for children to get vaccinated with this vaccine when it arrives next month.

“I do think that parents would like their children to go back to school and therefore they would be interested in making sure that their children get vaccinated,” Dr. Anthony said.

He highlighted that the government has worked very hard to secure these vaccines. It was President Dr. Irfaan Ali who announced that once secured, these vaccines would go exclusively to children.

The News Room reported last week that the 100,000 Pfizer vaccines would come to Guyana through the global COVAX facility.

Importantly, Dr. Anthony said that these vaccines are safe for use in children since requisite clinical trials have been conducted.

In the United States, he said that a large number of children have been vaccinated with his particular vaccine and that there have not been any significant problems.

But, he cautioned parents that once the vaccine is administered, children may experience some side- effects like fevers, pain and some aches.

These side effects, however, are not unusual. Instead, the Minister explained that such side effects are common after taking any vaccine.