Hanoi (VNA) - “The social and developmental benefits of attending school outweighthe risks associated with COVID-19 for children,” Dr Kidong Park,World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Vietnam, has stressed.
The COVID-19crisis has forced school closures for months, disrupting the learning processof millions of Vietnamese students.
“Prolonged schoolclosures contribute to adverse social, educational, health, and economic impactsfor children and society,” Park told the Vietnam News Agency. He particularlypointed out that one of the most vulnerable are disadvantaged children who areinequitably affected because of the challenges in accessing remotelearning.
“While sometransmissions have occurred in schools, schools do not pose a higher risk ofCOVID-19 transmission than other settings such as workplaces, restaurants, andshopping malls,” he said.
Dr. Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA) WHO acknowledgesthat the Government of Vietnam has been assessing the reopeningof schools, with careful consideration of the country’s outbreak situation,latest available evidence based on experiences of other countries and theconcerns of some of the parents on children’s safety, the official said.
“We could not eliminatethe risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools, but we can reduce such riskthrough appropriate infection prevention and control measures,” he noted.
The WHOrepresentative underscored that vaccination of children should not beconsidered as a pre-requisite condition for school opening. A safe learningenvironment can be created for children through the consistent implementation of5K measures at school as well as in the community.
First-grade students of Ham Nghi Primary School in Dong Ha city, the central province of Quang Tri, return to in-person learning. (Photo: VNA) According to Park, to do so, Vietnam can also implement a mechanism forearly detection and response to outbreaks in schools, including rapidcommunication to parents, teachers, and other key stakeholders; and ensure theadoption of public health measures including infection prevention and control,consistent mask-wearing, adequate and ventilated spaces for learning, physicaldistancing, attention to high-risk behavior and options for hybrid learning.
It is also critical to sustain persistent risk communication both withinschool premises and through mass media, he stated.
He went on to highly speak of how Vietnam has ramped up its vaccinationcampaign since June 2021 to reach a high vaccination coverage.
As of February 13, a total of 186 million doses of vaccines had been administeredin the country. About 75 million people, or 76 percent of the total population,have already completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccination, according toWHO.
It means that Vietnam has already reached the goal set by WHO that bymid-2022, all countries in the world should have vaccinated at least 70 percentof their population, he claimed.
A student receives COVID-19 vaccine shot in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cu Chi district. (Photo: VNA) Data from the Ministry of Health shows that up to 95.4 percent of Vietnamese children aged 12-17 had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines and89.7 percent doubled vaccinated as of last weekend.
The country is planning to start vaccine rollout for children aged5-11 within the first quarter of this year. However, a number of Vietnameseparents remain hesitant about vaccinating their kids.
“We understand that some Vietnamese parents are concerned about thesafety of COVID-19 vaccines,” Park said. “Whether or not there is a need tovaccinate children.”
COVID-19 vaccines which have received authorisation by stringentregulatory authorities for use among children are safe and effective inpreventing severe disease developments, hospitalisations and deaths due to COVID-19, and tosome extent, in reducing transmission of the disease, he explained.
Students in Hanoi have their temperature check before entering school. (Photo: VNA) “Children and adolescents tend to experience a milder COVID-19 diseasecompared to adults, though there are other risks that we need to consider whena child gets sick with COVID-19 such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome inchildren (MIS-C), a serious condition that can prolong a child’s recovery fromCOVID-19.”
To ensure the safe rollout of vaccines to children aged 5-11, theofficial recommended the Vietnamese Government to develop a well-planned systemfor acquiring and distributing the vaccines as well as a robust system formonitoring, reporting and response to safety and adverse events followingimmunisation.
The government should also implement communication strategies for thewide dissemination of messages on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines,possible side effects, and the benefits of getting vaccinated, he noted./.
The COVID-19crisis has forced school closures for months, disrupting the learning processof millions of Vietnamese students.
“Prolonged schoolclosures contribute to adverse social, educational, health, and economic impactsfor children and society,” Park told the Vietnam News Agency. He particularlypointed out that one of the most vulnerable are disadvantaged children who areinequitably affected because of the challenges in accessing remotelearning.
“While sometransmissions have occurred in schools, schools do not pose a higher risk ofCOVID-19 transmission than other settings such as workplaces, restaurants, andshopping malls,” he said.
Dr. Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA) “We could not eliminatethe risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools, but we can reduce such riskthrough appropriate infection prevention and control measures,” he noted.
The WHOrepresentative underscored that vaccination of children should not beconsidered as a pre-requisite condition for school opening. A safe learningenvironment can be created for children through the consistent implementation of5K measures at school as well as in the community.
First-grade students of Ham Nghi Primary School in Dong Ha city, the central province of Quang Tri, return to in-person learning. (Photo: VNA) It is also critical to sustain persistent risk communication both withinschool premises and through mass media, he stated.
He went on to highly speak of how Vietnam has ramped up its vaccinationcampaign since June 2021 to reach a high vaccination coverage.
As of February 13, a total of 186 million doses of vaccines had been administeredin the country. About 75 million people, or 76 percent of the total population,have already completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccination, according toWHO.
It means that Vietnam has already reached the goal set by WHO that bymid-2022, all countries in the world should have vaccinated at least 70 percentof their population, he claimed.
A student receives COVID-19 vaccine shot in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cu Chi district. (Photo: VNA) The country is planning to start vaccine rollout for children aged5-11 within the first quarter of this year. However, a number of Vietnameseparents remain hesitant about vaccinating their kids.
“We understand that some Vietnamese parents are concerned about thesafety of COVID-19 vaccines,” Park said. “Whether or not there is a need tovaccinate children.”
COVID-19 vaccines which have received authorisation by stringentregulatory authorities for use among children are safe and effective inpreventing severe disease developments, hospitalisations and deaths due to COVID-19, and tosome extent, in reducing transmission of the disease, he explained.
Students in Hanoi have their temperature check before entering school. (Photo: VNA) To ensure the safe rollout of vaccines to children aged 5-11, theofficial recommended the Vietnamese Government to develop a well-planned systemfor acquiring and distributing the vaccines as well as a robust system formonitoring, reporting and response to safety and adverse events followingimmunisation.
The government should also implement communication strategies for thewide dissemination of messages on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines,possible side effects, and the benefits of getting vaccinated, he noted./.
VNA
