Minister of Health on Pediatric Vaccination Uptake
Reporters also got a chance to ask the Minister of Health for an update on the vaccination uptake for children between the ages of five to eleven- years- old. There have been reports that the uptake among this age group has been low. Well, Minister Bernard sought to dispel those reports, adding that he is optimistic Belize will reach its seventy percent vaccination threshold by the start of the upcoming school year.
Kevin Bernard
Kevin Bernard
“If I am not mistaken, I think we are still not where we want, but we are getting there. I don’t have the right figure. I normally get this every week and I normally review that on Fridays. So, I am not sure where we are right now. But, I know that the uptake has been good so far, in terms of the schools parents participating. But, we also feel that we have between now and the opening of classes when schools fully return, whether it is in August or September. I am hearing certain people are telling me that the Ministry of Education is suggesting a mid August opening. We still feel and we are optimistic that because we are now inoculating our younger population, five to eleven- year- old, we will be able to achieve our seventy percent target, which is also the international target set out by the WHO. So, I encourage our Belizean parents to go out and get vaccinated. It has proven that it protects and reduces the risk of you being seriously ill.”
Reporter
“Are you disappointed at the wastage committed by the Belizean people, in that we never arrived at the vaccination threshold we aimed for?”
Kevin Bernard
“Let me put it this way, I will not say that I am disappointed with the Belizean people. But, we can also say that the efforts of this government and the Belizeans in whole have placed, because when you look at the targeted population at the time, from twelve and above, we were at the seventy percent almost. When you now include the five and above we are at fifty percent.”
Reporter
“Where reports are that the five to eleven year old category is not doing well.”
Kevin Bernard
“It is not as we want as I mentioned, but it is going at a pace that we believe, when you look trend from the twelve to seventeen, it is the same trend that the five to eleven is taking. So, if the adults who are reluctant to take the vaccine, obviously it trickles down to the children.”
