Covid and school, WHO Europe: “Priority vaccinating 12-17 year olds at risk”

Covid and school closures, from the World Health Organization an invitation to give priority, in addition to “teachers”, to “vaccinating 12-17 year olds who have underlying diseases or who are in contact with adults immunocompromised “. “WHO recommends the use of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for 12-17 year olds. For children under 12, it will provide further guidance on the use of vaccines as new evidence emerges from vaccine studies.” “To reduce the impact of Covid-19 in the coming months – warns Hans Kluge, regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Europe -, it is essential that the decisions of governments and institutions are based on data and evidence, with the knowledge that the epidemiological situation can change and that our behavior must change with it. Science must prevail over politics, and the long-term interests of children must remain a priority, especially now that a number of Countries are seeing a peak of infections. We have more efficient tools to deal with this peak than school closures. ” While the infections are rising in the area, the UN health agency asks that schools remain open with adequate prevention measures. Stopping face-to-face lessons should be seen as a last resort, is the message. “Teachers are true heroes in our communities,” WHO Europe concludes in a statement.