Belize launches a national campaign to vaccinate children against COVID-19

BELMOPAN, Belize– The Belize government has launched a national campaign to vaccinate as many children between the ages of five and 11 years against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“The most effective way to stop new COVID-19 variants is by limiting the spread. We encourage persons five years and older to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” the Ministry of Health and Wellness said in a statement posted on its website.

The national campaign coincides with a recent delivery of over 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The authorities said that personnel had been assigned to various districts, and teams are hitting the ground running to cover as much ground as possible ahead of the new school year.

The push ensures that children returning to their classrooms in September are protected against COVID-19. Each school has been assigned a date when personnel from the Ministry of Health and Wellness will be visiting the administer COVID jabs to their student population.

The latest figures released by the ministry showed that as of Tuesday, Belize had recorded 122 new confirmed cases, with 1,154 active patients.

The country has recorded 677 deaths and 59 365 infections since March 2020.

The chief executive officer of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Julio Sabido, said the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines had been one of the outstanding achievements for Belize.

“Throughout all the uncertainties of COVID-19, there is the certainty that the COVID-19 vaccine protects against severe disease and death. The Pfizer vaccine is the only available vaccine for five to eleven-year-olds. This group has remained unprotected against severe COVID until now,” he said.

On Tuesday, the ministry received 124 000 doses of the Pfizer pediatric vaccines through a partnership between the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Republic of Slovakia.

Head of the European Union Technical Support Office, Xavier Canton-Lamousse, said the EU had responded positively by making these vaccines available to the country.

These vaccines will contribute significantly to maintaining COVID cases low in the country. I’ve seen the figures rise again. It is essential to vaccinate as many people as possible and reduce the spread of the disease.