Health Ministry says no child will be vaccinated against Covid without parental consent
The Ministry of Health has said it is soon carrying out vaccination for children but this will not be done without the consent the parents.
In a statement by the Director General of Health Services, Dr.Henry Mwebesa, the ministry said there have been several media reports indicating that children between the age of 12 and 17 would be vaccinated without their parents’ consent but dismissed this as untrue.
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“The ministry would like to reiterate that no child will be vaccinated against Covid-19 against their parents’, guardian or caretakers’ consent. This will be upheld during the vaccination of children,” Dr.Mwebesa said.
He explained that while government would like to boost the immunity of children against Covid through vaccination, discussions are still ongoing with all the key stakeholders including parents on the best approach to be taken.
“The Ministry of Health together with the Scientific Advisory Committee and Vaccine Advisory Committee will after consultation with cabinet inform the public accordingly,” he said.
The development comes on the backdrop of reports of a rise again in the Covid cases in the country.
Last week, the Health Minister, Dr.Jane Ruth Aceng warned that the country has started experiencing an increase in the number of daily infections, just like it was last year in January when the deadly Omicron variant hit the country, killing several people.
In April, government further relaxed the Covid restrictions by asking that fully vaccinated members of the public would not be required to wear face masks when they are outdoors provided there are no crowds.
However, the vulnerable and high-risk population including those aged 50 years and above and people with co-morbidities irrespective of their age were asked to wear face masks all times whether vaccinated or not.
