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Applying the same adult dose of Coronavac to children is safe, says doctor

Pediatrician and professor at the USP School of Medicine Ana Escobar said, in an interview with CNN this Friday (21), that the application of the full dose of Coronavac in children is effective against Covid-19 and offers no risks.

“To contain the Ômicron tsunami, I couldn’t have better news for all parents and for all people”, says the doctor about Anvisa’s authorization for the use of Coronavac in children from the age of six.

Only children and adolescents up to the age of 17 who are immunosuppressed are not allowed to receive the immunizer, according to the agency.

The specialist, who classified Anvisa’s decision as “excellent”, says that the use of Coronavac in a new age group, still mostly discovered, can help to accelerate the total protection of the population.

She adds that the fact that the dose is the same as used in adults does not pose risks to children. “There are, yes, other vaccines whose doses are exactly the same (for children and adults)”, explains the specialist.

Coronavac is developed with inactivated virus technology, like so many other vaccines already used by children, such as Salk, used to protect children and adults from poliomyelitis, says Ana Escobar. In addition to polio, she mentions diseases such as measles, mumps, smallpox, rubella, chickenpox, meningitis, among others, which are prevented in children and adults with the same dose of immunizers.

The doctor explains that Coronavac has already been administered in China to about 200 million children in the age group in which it will be applied in Brazil.

“It is for the class to be calm about it. The agency (Anvisa) is studying this seriously”, he adds. “It is another vaccine available to our children and it is essential that everyone gets vaccinated”, he says.

The City of São Paulo will start, on Saturday (22), the vaccination of children between 6 and 11 years old with Coronavac. The estimated audience of the age group is 919,553 people. For children aged 5 years and immunosuppressed, doses of Pfizer continue to be given exclusively.

Difference for Pfizer

The expert explains that the difference for the Pfizer vaccine is in the methodology for developing the vaccine.

This difference, according to Ana Escobar, is what implies that Pfizer had to develop a specific immunizer for children, but that both are safe and effective against the virus.

“You don’t have to choose the vaccine you are going to give, both are great and (children) will benefit from both”, says the pediatrician.

* Under supervision of Elis Franco

Reference: CNN Brasil

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