"Do not scare the children. Tell them that it will hurt a bit, but it does not last long," Kartasasmita noted in a Press Release on the Efficacy and Safety of the COVID-19 Vaccine For Children Aged 6-11 Years, accessed online here, Tuesday.
The task force member deemed it essential for parents to mentally support their children before vaccination by providing an understanding either before or after inoculation.
For an initial understanding, Kartasasmita advised parents to explain about the safety of using the vaccine, the various benefits that can protect children from COVID-19, and inform them of the side-effects that they might experience, such as weakness, fatigue, or fever.
Parents should also inform children that by getting vaccinated, they are taking part in protecting their family and people around them, she affirmed.
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Kartasasmita believes parents should also emphasize that the children get adequate rest the night before receiving the vaccine injection.
Thus, when children are about to be inoculated, parents must help them relax, she noted.
After the vaccination, she advised that parents should lay importance that children must rest. Parents must also monitor the potential adverse events following immunization (AEFI) that children may experience.
"Hopefully, it (vaccination) is beneficial. Hopefully, we can achieve herd immunity (herd immunity) soon with the contribution from children's vaccinations," she remarked.
As part of the efforts to building community immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021.
Recently, the country began vaccinating children in the age group of 6-11 years after Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin issued Ministerial Decree Number HK.01.07/MENKES/6688/2021 on the implementation of COVID-19 Vaccination for Children aged 6-11 years.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
