Chile has started immunizing children aged 6 to 12 against coronavirus

Chile, one of the countries with the highest vaccination rate in the world, on Monday began immunizing itself against the coronavirus minors between 6 and 12 years old. In this way, it became the first country in South America to start vaccination for this age group.

The campaign is being carried out thanks to the Chinese vaccine Coronavac, from Sinovac, at a time when the pandemic is stabilizing in the Transandean country. The first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine will be minors with specific comorbidities, while from the 26th of this month all boys will be able to do so.

“Children can get sick too. 12% of the cases we have had in our country in this year and a half are children under the age of 18Said Public Health Under-Secretary Paula Daza.

How will the vaccination campaign for minors take place?

The authorization to vaccinate children between 6 and 12 years old was known last Monday when the Public Health Institute (ISP) gave free rein to the use of the Coronavac vaccine, from the Sinovac laboratory, to children over 6 years old.

Health authorities had already approved last June the use of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for children and adolescents over 12 years old. According to official figures, nearly 700,000 have already received at least one dose.

“Today we don’t have vaccines for children under 6, but if we vaccinate the whole family, we will act like a cocoon, protecting the little ones,” said Daza.

Vaccines, explained the Under-Secretary, “are safe, effective and, in addition to protecting each person, they are an act of solidarity.”

Chile keeps COVID-19 pandemic stabilized

More than 13.2 of the country’s 19 million people have already completed the immunization schedule. Meanwhile, some 2.2 million people who had been vaccinated with doses of Coronavac – the most widely used vaccine in the country – have already received a third dose.

A study from the University of Chile cited by EFE found that the Pfizer vaccine maintained its IgG antibody positivity above 90% after 20 weeks of application, while with the Sinovac formula a gradual drop was seen to around 40% during this time.

The pandemic experienced its most serious peak between March and June, when it again forced 90% of the country’s population to be confined. However, it has been on the decline for weeks. This Monday 426 new cases and 21 deaths were recorded, bringing the total toll to 1.64 million people infected and 37,253 deaths.

The positivity rate – the number of positive tests out of the total performed – has been below 1% for weeks. According to official figures, currently there are only half a thousand patients admitted to intensive care compared to the nearly 4,000 reported in the most critical months.

However, authorities maintain the curfew from 00:00 to 05:00 and the border closure to tourists has been in effect since April.