Health experts in South Africa have called for transparency as the outcome, together with scientific research, approval from South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), and the National Ministerial Advisory Committee, and government could determine whether the vaccination of children under 18 will become a reality and policy, IOL can reveal.
Since the start of the pandemic, children under 20 have accounted for 42 586 of Covid-19 cases, 109 children under the age of 19 have died, with the youngest being between the ages of five months old and one.
A month ago, The Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Numolux, and China’s Sinovac, partnered to conduct a paediatric vaccine trial for children between the ages of six months and 17 years old.
The study includes 2 000 children across South Africa, with seven clinical research sites across the country.
Chief operating officer of Numolux Group Anton Arendse said the trials were successful thus far.
He added that Numolux continued to work closely with Sinovac and the seven trial sites, to ensure the smooth running of the trial, as well as providing SAHPRA with their prescribed regular reports on the progress of the trial.
Professor Kobus Maree, Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, and the University of Pretoria said a full report, on how government derived a policy for a vaccine for children, should be made public and that no child should be denied education based on their parents’ decision not to take the vaccine.
Vanessa le Roux, of Parents for Equal Education South Africa (PEESA), said many parents would be against child vaccines and called for government to be transparent in what the inoculations contained.