The Covid-19 vaccine is now being given to children between the ages of 5-12 who are  attending primary schools in Mon State, according to an official from the State Department of Public Health and Medical Care.

“During the school year, all children between the ages of 5 and 12 will be vaccinated, and students between the ages of 12 and 18 will also be vaccinated if they did not attend school last year for any reason,”

he said.

When schools reopened in various regions and states, there were a total of 5,240,323 students registered.

There will be three school-based immunization programs. One for children between the ages of 5 and 12, another for those  between the ages of 12 and 18 and booster shots will be given to parents of students 6 months after vaccination.

A parent of a student from Zeyar Thiri Ward, in Mawlamyine said “the teachers phoned and asked me to vaccinate my child and asked if I had received two doses. If I wanted I could be added to the list to get another booster shot.”

The Covid 19 vaccines being administered are Sinopharm and Sinovac. These vaccines are being used for targeted populations. The Department of Public Health and Medical Care’s  plan was to administer 31 million people by the end of May.   However, to date just over 2 million people have been vaccinated.