Shawky:Pfizer in Egypt instrumental for herd immunity

Professor of public health Dr. Maysa Shawky said that Pfizer vaccination has been approved internationally to be given to students from the age of 13 to 18

Professor of public health Dr. Maysa Shawky said that Pfizer vaccination has been approved internationally to be given to students from the age of 13 to 18 and Egypt will do the same. Egypt is having a new age category for the teenagers, and is expanding the target age of vaccinated citizens which helps in improving their immunity and in protecting school children and their families against the propagation of the virus.

Over the phone to (Cairo Local Time), she added that this policy goes in alignment with the international researches and the recommendations of the WHO so that the whole world including the most vulnerable people will be vaccinated.

Concerning vaccinating children under 13 years old, she commented, this policy is to be addressed according to the capacity of every country. The expansion of the vaccine has to go vertically from the old age to the younger one, she highlighted, asserting that . Egypt is on the correct path for following the international regulations.

She explained that the vaccine acts on the immune system urging it to release antiviral antibodies to make the body ready to fight when the virus enters. Vaccinated people may have mild symptoms of the disease to stimulate the body to produce more and more antibodies, she illustrated.

Dr. Shawky insisted on following the precautionary measures which require social distancing, wearing masks, avoiding crowded places, sanitization and washing hands.

She clarified that reaching the herd immunity is possible. The target for the herd immunity, she said, is that two third of the population get vaccinated even if they caught the disease afterwards as by that time the propagation of the virus will disappear or become endemic as the seasonal influenza. 

Some people struggle from the post-Covid effects and have some symptoms such as lung damage and loss of taste or smell. This phase of syndrome differ from one patient to another as the variation of suffering is very individualized, for this reason people have to follow up for a period of time after the recovery to ensure that all body systems have been turned back to normal, she advised.

(Cairo Local Time) is aired from Saturday to Thursday. This episode is presented by Engy Maher .