Yes. COVID-19 vaccines undergo strict protections to help ensure their safety.
COVID-19 vaccines undergo rigorous testing in clinical trials to prove that they meet internationally agreed standards for safety and efficacy before receiving authorization from WHO and national regulatory agencies.
Currently, six vaccines are approved for use in Rwanda namely Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm and Sputnik V.
Similarly to any vaccines, COVID-19 vaccines occasionally cause side effects, even though many people do not experience them.
The vast majority of side-effects are mild and short-lived. They can include pain on the injection site, fatigue, fever, chills, nausea or a headache.
Severe side effects are extremely rare. If side effects worsen or don’t go away after a few days, contact your healthcare provider.
The interval between doses depends on which vaccine you get.
For the Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Sinopharm an interval of three to four weeks is recommended between two vaccine doses. For AstraZeneca an interval of six to eight weeks is recommended between two vaccine doses. The Johnson & Johnson and Sputnik V are still given as a single dose vaccine as studies are ongoing to assess the need for a booster dose.
Anyone can be infected by the virus ( SARS COV-2) causing COVID19. Some adolescents can develop a serious form of the disease affecting their lungs and other organs. Therefore, vaccinating adolescents has several advantages, including:
The vaccines administered to young people aged 12 to 17 are recognised and approved for use by Rwanda Bio-medical, Rwanda Food and Drug Authority. In addition, they have proved to be safe and more than 90% efficacious.
The vaccination operations take place at schools or other special sites that will be communicated to parents or guardians.
Only Ministry of health and RBC authorized health personnel will conduct the vaccination activities.
Parents or guardians are required to sign written consent form provided by RBC.
Consent form_COVID-19 Vaccine
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Yes, pregnant women or recently pregnant women are more at risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness, hence COVID-19 vaccination is recommended if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to get pregnant now.