LNP – Vaccinating school children must be done under supervision of specialists: GMOA

The COVID vaccination rollout for school children should be conducted under the direct supervision of Pediatricians and Physiotherapists and within the hospital premieres, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) today said.

GMOA General Secretary Dr. Nalinda Herath told the media that the committee’s decision on children’s vaccination rollout will be announced this week.

The committee was appointed to submit its recommendations to begin COVID vaccination rollout for school children and to which grades could be opened first. The committee was headed by the Health Services Director General following a lengthy discussion with the health officials, he said.

The committee’s recommendation will be an important tool to vaccinate the age group between 12 and 19. Priority will be given to the children with chronic illnesses and later to students in the Ordinary Level (O/L) and Advanced Level (A/L) who are over 15 years of age.

The committee discussed the feasibility of giving COVID vaccines to children between 12 and 15, Dr. Herath said.

“Our health system has the capacity to kick off this vaccination rollout at once across the country. Our country has many teaching hospitals, provincial General hospitals and every district has general hospitals and most districts have three or four base hospitals to commence the vaccination at once,” he said.

Paediatricians and physiotherapists are spread among most hospitals in the country. Therefore, we have the feasibility to start this vaccination for all children at once.