To ensure all children are protected against disease and are healthy and well, the Western Cape Health Department will now include voluntary Covid-19 vaccination for children between the ages of 12 and 17 years as part of its comprehensive school health services.
Roché Butler, spokesperson for the Health Department in the Overberg District, said: “Vaccination plays an important role in ensuring vulnerable children can continue to participate in social and educational activities with their peers and reduce the risk of spreading the virus. The longer people remain unvaccinated, the higher the chance is the virus can mutate into possibly a more potent variant of Covid-19.”
Kim Lowenherz, Covid-19 school-based vaccination coordinator for the Western Cape Department of Health, explained that the integration of Covid-19 vaccinations into the school-based programme is an important part of the vaccination roll-out in making vaccination even more accessible to everyone.
“Covid-19 school-based vaccinations are part of a collaboration between the Western Cape departments of Education and Health, as well as contracted entities and local NPOs for vaccination of learners 12 years old and older, in line with the Integrated School Health Programme,” she pointed out.
Health teams are visiting schools to inform children of the benefits and importance of the vaccine while distributing parental/caregiver consent forms. In some areas the mobile clinic services and school health buses are being used to offer Covid-19 vaccinations along with comprehensive school health services.
Sr Beatrice Groenewald, Child Health Clinical Programme Coordinator in the Overberg District, explains that parents can rest assured their consent is required for the school health nurses to conduct any screening of their child. The school will issue a consent form to administer any immunisations or treatment.
“Consent forms must be signed by a parent, guardian or caregiver,” she said. “It is my sincere hope that many consent forms are completed and returned to schools for this important vaccination.
“The Covid-19 vaccine is as safe and effective as all other standard childhood immunisations, such as measles and HPV, and it will also protect your child against serious and possibly deadly disease.”
Vaccines are administered by qualified professional nurses by injection in the upper arm. After getting vaccinated for Covid-19, your child may experience some mild side effects in the first 24 to 48 hours which can include a fever, painful arm, headache and tiredness.
“While these symptoms are inconvenient and mildly unpleasant, they do not mean one is sick,” Sr Groenewald explained. “It signals that one’s immune system is responding to the vaccination and is building up protection against the coronavirus. It is far better to experience some mild and inconvenient symptoms following vaccination, than to run the risk of having severe Covid-19 disease.”
If you have any questions or concerns, speak to your health-care worker or visit https://coronavirus.westerncape.gov.za/.
