Consignment of Pfizer vaccine arrives |09 September 2021

National immunisation campaign gets big boost

By Roland Duval

To boost the national immunisation campaign in the effort to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country, the Ministry of Health has added 35,100 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to its stock.

The new stock of the Pfizer vaccine, which arrived in the country yesterday, is a donation from the United States under the COVAX programme.

It was the political economic officer of the US embassy Nicholas Christian who handed over the vaccines to chief executive of the Health Care Agency, Dr Danny Louange, during a small ceremony at the Seychelles International Airport.

The Pfizer vaccine, which is the fourth type of vaccine to be introduced locally – after Sinopharm, Covishield and Sputnik V – will be used to vaccinate children aged 12 to 17 years old.

The vaccination campaign will begin tomorrow with the students of the National Institute of Health and Social Studies (NIHSS) and will go on until everyone in the age group who wishes to be vaccinated has done so.

The Ministry of Health encourages all parents to allow their children in this age range to take the vaccine as a form of defence against Covid-19, since the Pfizer vaccine will protect them from severe forms of the illness and prevent them from being hospitalised and even avert death.

The Ministry of Health has already distributed consent forms to parents, seeking their approval, while advising them on the benefits of vaccination, as well as possible side effects.

According to Dr Louange, vaccination for secondary school students will begin on Monday September 13 at ten stations (at the schools, including Praslin and La Digue) and they are planning to complete the administering of the first dose in one week.

The National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group recommended the use of the Pfizer vaccine in Seychelles on July 27, 2021 and the Official Gazette published the statutory instrument for emergency use authorisation on August 9.

To date, 72 percent of the population are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

According to the World Health Organisation, the Pfizer vaccine has proven to be efficient in preventing illnesses and complications caused by the coronavirus, in both adults and adolescents.

The accompanying photos show some highlights marking the arrival of the consignment of Pfizer vaccine in the country.

Photos by Marsha Dine and Thomas Meriton