The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative says WHO granted Pfizer vaccine clearance in terms of quality, safety, and efficacy rate of 95% against symptomatic and against a variety of coronavirus variants.
WHO country Representative Dr Sevil Huseynova highlighted this during the launch of the Pfizer vaccine on Thursday at the National Referral Hospital (NRH) car park.
“WHO has granted Pfizer vaccine clearance in terms of quality, safety, and efficacy rate of 95% against symptomatic and against a variety of coronavirus variants,” Dr Huseynova said.
Therefore, she stated WHO recommends the use of the Covid-19 vaccine in pregnant women when the benefits of vaccination outweigh potential risks.
“Pregnant women who are older, overweight, or have pre-existing medical conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes are particularly at greater risk of severe Covid-19 outcomes.
“Clinical trials on the Pfizer vaccine has provided reassurance that vaccination during pregnancy is not like with any additional pregnancy, birth or newborn complications,” Dr Huseynova said.
Furthermore, she added the vaccine is safe for children 12-17 years of age who can have the opportunity to be protected from severe coronovirus infection and death.
She stated Solomon Islands have a very young population where 0-14 years is 32.99percent and 14-14 years is 19.82percent.
“This should indicate to all health professional that more priority needs to be given to this group. Ensuring protection for children that constitutes almost half of the total population seems essential to expand coverage of vaccination in the country,” Dr Huseynova said.
By ESTHER NURIA
Newsroom, Honiara
