Novye Izvestia refutes the fake: what did Minister Murashko mean when he spoke about the vaccination of children

Irina Mishina

Breaking news that in 2 weeks all Russian teenagers from 12 to 17 years old will begin to be totally vaccinated without fail, has scattered at the speed of light. In the comments, users were indignant, indignant, and lamented. Some were even going to transfer their children to family and home schooling on this occasion. What will really happen to the vaccination of adolescents?

"NI" applied for clarification to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. They explained to us that the news that appeared in some media about the upcoming vaccination of adolescents in the next 2 weeks is not reliable. The speech of the Minister of Health of Russia is in the public domain, literally it sounds like this:

“We receive a large number of requests for a vaccine for the child population. The tests are in the final stage, we are awaiting expert opinion. I think that within the next two weeks we will receive a response from the expert organization on the use of the vaccine for the child population", - Murashko said at the presidium of the coordinating council to combat the spread of the disease.

“Taken out of context, the minister's words were misinterpreted. The Minister of Health had in mind the preparation of documentation related to the testing of the Sputnik vaccine for children and adolescents. It is she who will be ready in 2 weeks", - press service of the Ministry of Health of Russia explained to Novye Izvestia.

The fact that children began to get sick with coronavirus infection more and more often, unfortunately, can no longer be denied. This is a sign of the third wave of covid in Russia. According to the head of the Ministry of Health, the largest number of patients is in the school age group from 6 to 17 years. "The number of children and adolescents among the total number of cases is within 12-13 percent", - said Mikhail Murashko.

As you know, clinical trials of the Sputnik vaccine for children and adolescents have entered their final stage. Earlier, the chief physician of the Moscow City Clinical Hospital No. 52, Maryana Lysenko, said that vaccination of children could begin in Russia in January 2022. Clinical trials of the vaccine with the participation of adolescents from 12 to 17 years old are carried out by the Gamaleya Center on the basis of the Morozov Children's Hospital and the Bashlyaeva Children's Hospital. They are successful.

Prior to that, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova called children and adolescents the main carriers of coronavirus infection. Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Yuri Vengerov pointed out the need to vaccinate children. According to him, without this, it will not be possible to defeat the coronavirus epidemic. The expert recalled that the creation of herd immunity is possible provided that 80% of people are vaccinated, including children with adolescents.

“There are indeed many cases of coronavirus among adolescents who lead an active lifestyle. But before children are vaccinated, Sputnik must undergo full clinical trials. At the moment, there is no official data on how the vaccine works for children and adolescents. Let me remind you that immunity is developed 2-3 weeks after vaccination. If vaccination is carried out now, taking into account the production of antibodies, the development of immunity will have to be just at the moment when the current wave of the incidence of Covid-19 begins to decline. In my opinion, this decline will start by mid-December. Indeed, many children are sick or have already had coronavirus. Their natural immunity, which has developed as a result of the disease, is also a protection against coronavirus infection. In my opinion, covid will somehow reach everyone, and thus we will acquire immunity. This payment is for unwillingness to get vaccinated”, - virologist Yevgeny Timakov told Novye Izvestia.

It's worth reminding that Anna Kuznetsova was an active opponent of the vaccination of children and adolescents, who left the post of children's ombudsman in connection with the transition to work in the State Duma as vice speaker. It can be assumed that in her person opponents of child and adolescent vaccination have lost their powerful support.

As you know, in September, WHO did not approve the mass use of the Sputnik vaccine abroad. Novye Izvestia informed in detail what are the reasons for this in the article "Curve trajectory of Sputnik". However, recently the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that Sputnik could be approved by the end of the year. The Russian Direct Investment Fund is currently preparing the relevant documents.