Fiji launches school vaccination; Moderna vaccine rollout begins

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Students aged 15-17-years-old being administered the Mordena Vaccine at the Gospel High School. Picture: FIJI GOVT/FACEBOOK

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama today launched the school vaccination and rollout of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 15 to 17 years old.

This was a collaboration between the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communication.

He said 66 per cent of all adults in the country were now fully vaccinated and 98 per cent had received their first dose.

“Now, we can focus on providing the same level of protection against the COVID-19 disease for our children, because Fiji will not be Fiji until our children are back in school where they ought to be,” Mr Bainimarama said in his address.

“After completing all of the necessary clinical trials for safety and efficacy for children, hundreds of thousands of young people around the world have already received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.”

Mr Bainimarama acknowledged four students of four schools in Suva who had been given consent by their parents to receive the first jab of the Moderna vaccine.

“I want to thank these patriotic young people and their parents for their commitment to protect themselves and others. You should be very proud of yourselves today, and we are all certainly proud of you. Well done!”

The PM encouraged all parents of children within the vaccination age group to get their children vaccinated and informed all parents that doctors, medical researches and health care professionals at the Health Ministry were available to assist them in making this important decision for their children.

“As parents and guardians, you will be asked to register your consent for your children to receive this vaccine. We encourage you to do so online through the Vaccine Registry portal that is posted on the Fijian Government and Ministry of Health Facebook pages.”

Hr also urged parents to keep themselves updated on the Moderna vaccine, its rollout program and to learn more about the benefits of this vaccine for their children.

The Moderna vaccine is first being administered to 15 to 17 year olds who are nearing the end of their secondary education and need to sit for their external exams to progress onto tertiary education, Mr Bainimarama said.

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