Before opening schools after nearly two years of lockdown the decision to embark on a plan of vaccination for children of 18 plus age group in Jammu & Kashmir shows the concern of the government both on health safety of children and as well as their return to classes. By all standards of understandabilities it is now for parents to cooperate with the school heads in the proposed vaccination of the children of 18 plus age groups . Keeping in view the positive results of the covid vaccines in recent months the vaccination of children of 18 plus age group is by all standards of understandabilities a license for their return to return to schools . The parent have to keep in mind that vaccination alone would facilitate the restoration of classroom teaching in schools in Jammu & Kashmir like several states and union territories of the country. As far the government’s initiative of vaccination for children of 18 plus age group is concerned merely announcing vaccination for children of 18 plus age group is not enough but road map for vaccination process in consultation with the school heads should be rolled out at the earliest. To make vaccination of the children of 18 plus age group a success the health and medical education department has to ensure the availability of required no of covid vaccines in every school so that vaccine shortage does not become the cause of vaccine hesitancy in either government or private schools as has been witnessed in the vaccination of adults of different age groups in recent months.
Though involvement and engagement of all stake holders would boost the process of covid vaccination for children of 18 plus age group but ultimately the onus for complete response to proposed covid vaccination process lies on parents. Parents because of their emotional bonding with the children can persuade them to undergo vaccination and henceforth would surely ensure that vaccine hesitancy does not become an issue the way it has become an issue in the vaccination of adults of different age groups.
To ensure participation of all stake holders in the proposed vaccination process in schools as announced by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, the Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) like Volunteery Health Association (VHA) who were in news for providing covid care facilities during last two years of covid scare across Kashmir too should be involved in the vaccination process. People have not to forget that several non governmental organizations (NGOs) including Volunteery Health Association (VHA) established even covid care wards at their covid facility centres in uptown Srinagar. Though involvement and engagement of all stake holders would boost the process of covid vaccination for children of 18 plus age group but ultimately the onus for complete response to proposed covid vaccination process lies on parents. Parents because of their emotional bonding with the children can persuade them to undergo vaccination and henceforth would surely ensure that vaccine hesitancy does not become an issue the way it has become an issue in the vaccination of adults of different age groups.
