12-17 year olds in Bahrain must take vaccine says Dr Al Qahtani

National Medical Task- a force for Combating the Coronavirus (COVID-19) member Lieutenant-Colo- nel Dr Manaf Al Qahtani said the remarkable spike in the number of active cases over the past period includ- ed active cases of unvacci- nated children.

This age group represents a large segment of society, and their vaccination con- tributes to enhancing their immunity and that of the community, in light of the long incubation period of the virus in infected chil- dren. Dr Al Qahtani, Infec- tious Disease Consultant and Microbiologist at the BDF Hospital, pointed out that contrary to what some people say, the vaccine is not dangerous to the 12-17 age group.

He said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strongly recommend- ed this age group to take the vaccine to reduce complica- tions or deaths as a result of infection with the virus.