Quarantine policy for children of vaccinated parents 'under review'

Ministry officials said a decision regarding quarantine policies for children of vaccinated parents will be publicised soon.

The Ministry of Public Health is reviewing quarantining procedures for children who are not eligible for the Covid-19 vaccination but are returning to the country with their vaccinated parents, officials announced.

Dr. Soha Al Bayat, head of vaccination at the health ministry, said during an Instagram live that a decision will be announced shortly, but “most likely” children who are below 16 years old will be eligible for home quarantine.

“Probably, children below 16 years who are not eligible to take the vaccine – if they come back with parents who have been fully vaccinated and finished their two doses 14 days prior – the parent will have to sign an undertaking that children will stay home and not be allowed to go out for seven days,” she said.

The health official also said unvaccinated children over the age of 16 will have to be quarantined under parent supervision. Unvaccinated parents will also have to quarantine, she added.

Dr. Al Bayat also added that vaccinated individuals will be immune to the virus for a three months period; however, this doesn’t mean the vaccine is only valid for three months.

“Studies are ongoing in this regard,” she added.

In addition, those who have registered online to receive the vaccination and are eligible will be contacted “as per priority basis,” Al Bayad said. She urged people who contracted the virus before to also get vaccinated to prevent re-infection.

For those worried about the risks the vaccine might have on pregnancy and breastfeeding, Al Bayat said that there is no scientific data available that indicates ‘safety and risk of vaccination towards pregnant and breastfeeding women.”

She also added that in terms of pregnancy, several women who participated in the clinical trials of the virus vaccine and coincidentally got pregnant went on to live a healthy and safe pregnancy.

“There is no contraindication between taking the vaccine and getting pregnant. And you do not have to wait after the vaccine for any period before trying to get pregnant,” she said.

Lastly, Dr. Al Bayat said the side effects of the vaccine are similar to those of other vaccination.

“Pain, headache, lethargy, and high or increasing temperature are common side effects. Among the majority of the vaccinated people, these side effects were cured within 24 hours while taking panadol or similar tablets while a small percentage required 48 hours for the side effects to go,” said Dr. Al Bayat.

Qatar’s Primary Health Care Corporation [PHCC] began administering the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine on Monday in three different health centres.

The Moderna vaccine, the second in the country after the joint Pfizer-BioNTech doses, is now available at the Al Wajba, Lebaib, and Thumama health centres.

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