MINSK, 27 December (BelTA) - The rate of vaccination against COVID-19 in Belarus has doubled in December, Belarusian Deputy Healthcare Minister - Chief State Sanitary Inspector Aleksandr Tarasenko said in an interview to the STV channel, BelTA has learned.
“The year has been tense, but not as difficult as 2020. The healthcare system has learned to work effectively amid the pandemic. All the set tasks are successfully carried out in Minsk and the regions. The vaccination rate in December has doubled in comparison with the November figures. We see that almost half of the country's population will receive the first shot of the vaccine (including Sputnik Light) in December 2021,” said Aleksandr Tarasenko.
The Healthcare Ministry of Belarus has allowed the vaccination of children against COVID-19. Belarus will expand its COVID-19 vaccination program to include children aged 12-17. Parents or legal representatives of children should sign an informed consent for vaccination. Belarus will start inoculating children on 27 December 2021. “We recommend it to almost everyone. According to the results of the last so-called fourth wave, we saw that the age of those who fell ill became younger. We note, among other things, an increased incidence among the child population. Basically, this trend is not only in Belarus, it can be observed all over the world. During the year parents have asked when we would start vaccinating children. I can definitely say that we will have demand,” the deputy minister said.
When asked about the vaccination of young children in Belarus, Aleksandr Tarasenko said: “Producers, including of those vaccines that we have in civil circulation, are working to ensure that after clinical trials the vaccine can be used among these categories of the population as well.”
