COVID-19 | Argentina starts vaccination with Sinopharm in children between 3 and 11 years old

Argentina began the vaccination process against the COVID-19, with doses of Sinopharm, to children between 3 and 11 years old, ranking as one of the few countries in the world to immunize people of that age group.

Between this Thursday and Friday, more than two million doses will be distributed throughout the 24 jurisdictions of the country, with the aim of beginning its pediatric application as of next Tuesday.

The Argentine capital also opened this Thursday the registration process to vaccinate children between 3 and 11 years old, a registry that has already begun in the province of Buenos Aires, with some 400,000 Buenos Aires minors enrolled in the program.

In a press conference, the Argentine Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, justified the measure due to the proportional increase in new cases among those under 18 years of age, “Because clearly they are the ones who are still susceptible (to be infected) and ”.

Approval from pediatricians

At first, the decision to vaccinate children under 11 years of age with Sinopharm caused resentment among the pediatric entities of Argentina, who asked before their emergency approval by the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (Anmat) .

Until last week, only China, the United Arab Emirates and El Salvador had approved Sinopharm, an inactivated virus vaccine, for this population group, while the only studies published in this regard were those published in the British journal The Lancet.

This same Monday, after a meeting with the head of Health, the Argentine Society of Pediatrics (SAP) ended up endorsing the use of Sinopharm in children under 11 years of age after consulting several still confidential reports, Rodolfo Pablo Moreno, a pediatrician, told Efe. and first vice president of SAP.

”They showed us an unpublished phase III study, which is being carried out by the United Arab Emirates and China in pediatric patients, with very encouraging results; an unpublished report in Chile, about the effects of vaccination (in minors) with SinoVac (a similar vaccine), and a study by the National University of Córdoba, which is on mortality in adults with or without vaccinated children “Moreno stressed.

”With those three scenarios, which showed the few adverse effects and the good immune response, it was that added the expert.

In this way, vaccination with Sinopharm will start first among children with pre-existing diseases and the intention of the Government is “to be able to vaccinate in schools”, thus building a bridge between health and education, according to the first vice president of the SAP.

”It seems to us a very good idea and there was a clear commitment that ‘no vaccination’ will not mean that the child cannot go to school ”, Moreno clarified.

By the end of October, the Argentine Government will have a stock of 12 million Sinopharm vaccines to apply about 6 million people.

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