Jerusalem24 – The Ministries of Education and Health announced that the first phase of the vaccination process for secondary school students, represented by giving them the first dose of the “Pfizer” vaccine, will begin today, and is expected to last for two weeks.
The number of students in this stage (grades 10-12) is 255,000 students in the West Bank and Gaza.
The Director of the School Health Department at the Ministry of Health, Samir Shamasneh, confirmed that despite the World Health Organization’s recommendation to provide the “Pfizer” vaccine from the age of 12 years and over, the Ministry of Health specified that the vaccination process should start from the age of 16 to avoid overcrowding and organize the process, provided that the vaccination is done Students from 12 years later after completing the first stage.
He stressed the need for all students to receive the vaccine in order to preserve their safety and public safety, stressing that vaccination is safe, and the epidemic requires the understanding of parents, pointing out that parents will receive an inquiry leaflet about the child’s health condition before vaccination, calling on the students’ families not to object to the vaccination process in order to ensure the health of their children and the completion of the face-to-face education process.
Regarding the lack of “Corona” examination for students before receiving the vaccine, Shamasneh said: “The World Health Organization does not recommend conducting an examination before receiving the vaccine, and it is not necessary to conduct an examination for a student who does not show any symptoms, as he or she is considered healthy and not infected with the virus.”
He pointed out that if one of the students receiving the vaccine shows any symptoms, they will be monitored, and if necessary, the medical staff will intervene.
In the same context, Shamasneh warned of the danger of the new “delta” mutation, as it is rapidly spreading, and it affects the lungs directly, and the time between symptoms and complications is very short, and begin to appear in children, which called for the recommendation of the World Health Organization to vaccinate them.
In turn, Ihab Shoukry, director of the School Health Department at the Ministry of Education, pointed out that about 98% of teachers have been vaccinated, while the administrative staff has been vaccinated more than 99%, and that the vaccination process is still ongoing, explaining that the rest of the cases that have not had a medical exception that impedes the vaccination.
Shoukry explained that the vaccination process will be inside school classes under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and with a follow-up by the Ministry of Education staff, and students will be prepared by notifying parents and directing health messages to their families, and then all students who received the vaccine will be registered electronically.
Shoukry said, “we will be keen to convince parents and urge them to vaccinate all students, and make every possible effort to receive the vaccine for all students, and there will be positive measures that ensure the interest of students and receive the vaccine, and people have no choice when their freedom becomes harmful to others.” He added, “if parents refuse to vaccinate their children, we will work hard with them, and we will follow up on the reason for the refusal.”
