Covid-19: children vaccinated in Luanda guarantee to "mobilize" colleagues for a campaign with low adherence

The vaccination campaign against covid-19 for minors between 12 and 17 years old began on Thursday in Angola, with a timid search for High Performance Vaccination Posts (PVAR) spread across Luanda, as Lusa found.

The light rain that fell over Luanda in the morning did not inhibit parents and guardians from accompanying children to the PVAR in the Cidadela Sports Complex, in the urban district of Rangel.

Mobilizing more children for the vaccine, which is "safe, fast, important" and "doesn't hurt", was the guarantee of Maria Cristina, 15, who took the first dose this Friday that guarantees well-being and prevents that people get sick with covid-19, "which is very dangerous".

"The vaccine is important because it helps us to prevent this disease and not only that, whether we like it or not, we have to get the vaccine because it is for our well-being", the 9th grade student told Lusa.

Without fear and aware of the danger of covid-19 for herself and those closest to her, Maria Cristina, after being inoculated, assured that from now on she will mobilize and advise her schoolmates and other people to take the vaccine.

Rubém Otávio, 14, Maria Cristina's younger brother, was also inoculated against covid-19, whose vaccine he considers "very effective", having also advised other children to follow his example and the guidelines of the authorities.

"I just had the fear of having the vaccine hurt a bit, but the fear has passed, from now on it's about following all the preventive measures", said the boy, who is attending the 8th grade.

Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are authorized by the Angolan Public Health department and are being administered to children and adolescents in this campaign.

Accompanied by his father, Miguel Dionísio, 12 years old, broke his fear and took the vaccine and, in the end, expressed satisfaction, having guaranteed that he will redouble the individual protection measures against the disease.
And the boy's father, in turn, said he was anxiously awaiting to see his son vaccinated and refuted the prejudices and fears that still exist about the alleged consequences of the vaccine on children.

"Yes, there are people who still think that this is a joke, that covid-19 does not exist. I saw a family member who died, we did not see her body, and we are very sorry for that," recalled Vasco Filho, 48 years old.

The need to gain immunity against covid-19 led Jerusa da Silva, 15, to Cidadela Desportiva's PVAR. After being vaccinated, the 10th grade student stated that the process "was good, calm" and guaranteed "new posture and greater care".

The Cidadela Sports Complex's PVAR vaccinated around 35 children on Thursday, the first day of the campaign, and by midday this Friday it had already vaccinated close to 40, revealed the coordinator, Esperança Belo.

The doctor urged parents to take the children to be inoculated, she said that the guardians who went there with the children left that unit "still very satisfied" with the minors already vaccinated.

"The logistics are good, we don't have any breaks, we have enough vaccine (...). And we continue to appeal to parents to accompany their children, as this is a very important process in the lives of each child and each Angolan", he stressed Hope Beautiful.