The vaccination campaign for 15- to 17-year-olds has been launched. It is planned to be held daily in 10 colleges by 10 mobile teams, and aims to reach 300 to 400 students per day. The youth campaign was inaugurated at the Phoenix SSS in the presence of Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, the Minister of Education, Leela Devi Dookun Luchoomun and the Health Minister, Dr. Kailesh Jagutpal and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy, Thomas D. Kohl. The aim of the vaccination campaign is to complete the first dose of 38, 025 students by October 20, that is 16 days of intensive vaccination.
50% face-to-face delays the campaign
The vaccination involved students from the following colleges: Collège du Saint Esprit, GMD Atchia SC, Lady Sushil Ramgoolam SSS, Pamplemousses SSS, Quartier Militaire SSS, Modern College, S. Vivekananda SSS, Curepipe College, Phoenix SSS and Dr Maurice Curé SC. With scattered classing, only 50% of the students are physically in the schools. At a press briefing, the DPM Dookun has made it clear that “from 18 October there will be more students” so the campaign can progress quickly. As of Tuesday 28 September, the number of consents forms had reached 4000. She stressed that the vaccine is not compulsory so “parents who do not want to vaccinate their children will not be forced. The latter can attend classes and interact with their peers, but there will be enhanced protection for those who are vaccinated,” she said. She also highlighted that vaccination will be extended to people aged 12 years and above soon.
Consent form questioned again
The consent form anomaly was again pushed forward. For the Minister of Health, no changes will be made to this form “Since the beginning, it is the same debate. If there is a consent form, it is because of the vaccines that have been produced over a certain period of time and we also have to meet the manufacturers’ conditions and respect them. Otherwise, nobody will give us the vaccine. So, the consent form will not change and will remain as long as the vaccination campaign continues. The only difference is that it is the parents who have to sign it.” Parents, vaccinated or not, have been asked to accompany their children even if the consent form is duly signed. He suggested that “exceptionally, a derogation has been applied today to allow all parents, who have not been vaccinated, to accompany their children while they are inoculated.” He also mentioned that the side effects, both on young people, are being studied and that in case of serious adverse reactions, the concerned person will be taken care of under the Consolidated Fund.
Thomas Khol concluded that “the American government is very proud to donate more than 76,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to the Mauritian population“. He congratulated the Mauritian government for the good management of this campaign and encouraged all concerned in this age group to be vaccinated as soon as possible. The administration of the second dose will begin three weeks after the first dose, on 21 October.
