School in Ho Chi Minh City prepares to give COVID-19 vaccine to children 5-11 years old

Recently, the Ministry of Health has officially announced vaccination for children 5-11 years old. Accordingly, the implementation of vaccination will be carried out from the 2nd week of April. Educational institutions in Ho Chi Minh City are inputting the information of 5-11-year-old students into the COVID-19 vaccination system. .

Many parents do not agree to the injection

At Bau Sen Primary School (District 5, Ho Chi Minh City), the percentage of parents agreeing to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19 was recorded as less than 60%. Mr. Nguyen Trung Hai – Principal of the school, informed that the remaining parents disagree because the child has an underlying disease or F0 has been cured of the disease.

“The school administers the COVID-19 vaccine on a voluntary basis. However, teachers are still trying to convince parents who have not yet agreed to vaccinate their children. We hope parents will agree. Children who do not get vaccinated, the school still allows normal school attendance.Mr. Hai said.

In the survey of parents, Tue Duc Primary School obtained the result that over 50% of children disagreed with the vaccination of children with COVID-19 vaccine. The main reason is fear of vaccine side effects on children.

“Schools are the intermediary to register for COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 5-11. Therefore, with questions about side effects when children receive vaccines, the school does not have the authority and professional capacity to do so. medical science to answer,” Ms. Anh Thu – Vice Principal of Tue Duc Primary School said.

In addition, Ms. Thu also said that the school updated information on students’ vaccinations later than expected because many parents did not have time to receive identification codes for their children.

Many parents at Ky Dong Primary School (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) also wonder and find the child’s identification code. The school has researched and explained for parents to register for vaccinations for their children. Currently, the school is still updating information about students registering for the COVID-19 vaccine. The number of students with parental consent to vaccinate is 1,700/2,100 children.

Unlike primary school, Ha Huy Tap Secondary School (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) has nearly 100% of parents agree to vaccinate their children. They feel secure because the school has experienced in injecting the COVID-19 vaccine in grades 7, 8, 9.

The school intends to arrange a separate injection area for 6th grade students. During the vaccination process, parents will be accompanied by their children.

“The implementation of COVID-19 vaccination at school can be done with the cooperation of the ward health station such as the injection for students in grades 7, 8, 9. The number of students in grade 6 is not much, so the school will allow Parents are allowed to enter the injection site to accompany their children. If they have any questions, parents can directly ask the doctor. Students are also comfortable and secure when their parents are around.” Ms. Hua Thi Diem Tram – Principal of the school shared.

Persevere in mobilizing parents

During the consultation with parents, an administrator of Ky Dong Primary School advised teachers to persevere in advocacy, even though the COVID-19 vaccination for children is voluntary.

“Our most important goal is for children to go to school to develop comprehensively. Therefore, vaccination against COVID-19 is a solution to ensure safety to prevent and control the epidemic for children at school. We need to convince parents, increase the number of consent to vaccination to achieve this goal”, this officer said.

According to the management staff of Ky Dong Primary School, the process of persuading and persuading parents does not take much time. School administrators need to continuously update information on COVID-19 vaccination in the age group of 5-11 to teachers.

“Teachers and teachers are not doctors, so there is information they need to be provided specifically to confidently answer questions and analyze for parents”, this officer said.

Ms. Tram – Principal of Ha Huy Tap Secondary School expressed her hope that the competent authorities with medical expertise would provide more information on injection doses, types of vaccines, side effects of vaccines… to schools. According to her, this is a solution to help increase the percentage of parents who agree to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19 at primary school level.

“Currently, there is a lot of information about vaccination against COVID-19 vaccine, parents are learning and do not know any sources. The younger their children, the more worried they are. So if the authorities have any If medical professionals provide specific information to teachers, they will explain and convince parents. From there, parents have more confidence and reduce anxiety, agree to take their children for vaccinations.” , Ms. Tram emphasized.

Regarding the vaccination against COVID-19 for children aged 5-11, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Van Dung, Dean of the Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, noted the post-injection reactions of sensitive subjects. this feeling.

Specifically, according to Mr. Dung, the most dangerous post-injection reaction in children is anaphylaxis. Schools need to pay special attention to the recognition and quick treatment of children in resuscitation and first aid. Besides, children also have different post-injection reactions than adults such as fainting due to pain or hunger, so they need more attention.