Youth coronavirus infection rate has doubled and government rushes vaccination for this group

In mid-July, a group of health experts advising the Government, told the Minister of Health of the Nation Carla Vizzotti the need to vaccinate minors to achieve a real collective immunity which reaches 90 percent of the population.

“This is the only way to end, or to try to end the circulation of the virus,” one of the infectologists told the official in a virtual meeting. This statement had, strictly speaking, a statistical support which is now reflected in the latest figures from the country’s COVID-19 situation room.

It is that according to a document consulted by TN.com.ar incidence rate every 100,000 inhabitants doubled in the 20-29 age group and triple in the case of those who have between 10 and 19, which shows that the second wave affected the youngest more.

The incidence rate represents the speed of new cases in a certain population: it is calculated by dividing the infections that appear by the number of individuals that make up this group.

According to these figures, the incidence rate for the 20-29 age group has increased from 5,072 positive per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020 at 10,484 in 2021. For minors between 10 and 19 years old, the 1,511 registered last year became 4,633 in 2021.

Among other problems, these figures led the Ministry of Health of the Nation to start vaccinating, in the first place, minors with risk factors, a population estimated at 900 thousand young people for which the Moderna vaccines donated by the United States were used. After the agreement with the Pfizer laboratory, it was decided that a good part of the 20 million doses that will arrive before the end of the year will be intended for minors between 12 and 17 years old without risk factors.

Wednesday a little over 100,000 doses of this vaccine, which will be used in addition to Sputnik V and for minors with risk factors. With the next expeditions, progress will be made with adolescents without co-morbidities.

“Although children and adolescents generally have COVID-19 disease in a mild form, it is essential to advance their individual protection which will translate into indirect benefit in older populations who are at higher risk for complications and death. Vizzotti said. during the Health Council meeting last July. The government also understands that the vaccination of minors is a tool for guarantee schooling and attendance in class.

Statistics in the report also show that people between 30 and 39 years old they were more affected this year by the coronavirus than in 2020. The incidence rate fell from 6,186 cases per 100,000 inhabitants last year to 11,734 in 2021.

The reverse happened when the age groups of the elderly were analyzed. Even in the age group of people who have 90 years or older, there is a reduction in the incidence rate: from 5,173 in 2020 to 5,002 in 2021.

The figures show that in the case of the over 80s, there has not been a significant increase in the incidence rate, which rose from 3,771 to 4,832. The fact that the vaccination campaign started with the over 80s. 60 years, in addition to health professionals and strategic personnel, has made that the number of infected does not increase at such great rates as in the young population. Something similar has happened in the 70 to 79 segment: from 3,047 in 2020 to 5,293 this year.

In addition to the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna (a laboratory with which a 20 million agreement has been signed), the Ministry of Health expects the authorities of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to deliver documentation on the use of the drugs. doses of Sinopharm in people from 3 to 17 years old. These studies will be analyzed by ANMAT and CONAIN.

The United Arab Emirates have conducted clinical trials with doses of Sinopharm in this population, to which they have applied two doses with a interval of at least 21 days and the results, according to the Nation’s Ministry of Health, “were positive and similar to adults, both in terms of safety and immunogenicity ”.