Why then did he say like this? Because in our country whatever sero survey has been done by ICMR , AIMS and WHO together, the conclusion was derived that right from the month of June-July, 70 % of the children have already been affected by Corona, and they have developed antibodies against corona with just mild afflictions - meaning they have already developed the ability to fight against corona.
Subsequently, whenever the surveys have been conducted recently, this ability has come among 80 to 90% of children.
It is wrong to suggest that now when our children would go to school, would get Corona and they have that danger. Because children already have had Corona. When you are affected with the first form of Corona we get immunity that is robust and long lasting that can fight with any subsequent variants.
When our consent for vaccinating children is asked for - in schools permission is sought from parents - then you can refuse it courageously. We have the right to say no. And it is also a responsibility of ours towards our children.
children cannot understand it now, but we parents have to understand this. Dr Guleria has told on NDTV, “yes, some risk is there from vaccine.” When children having no risk from Corona then why should we take even the slightest of risk?
So far as long-term side effects are concerned it's not known to me, you, not to the government, not even to the vaccine manufacturing companies. It is not known at all as because it has not been a long time yet. Children's vaccine are usually tested for five years, ten years and only after confirming that they are safe, they are administered.
There is one more thing. The consent obtained in the schools is not legally valid. Only informed consent is valid. That means you have to be informed everything about the injection. Even when we purchase a small medicine, it is written on it that what it contains, even if there is one reaction among 1 million, it is written on that. And for this vaccine which has arrived just now, they have to explain us what all is there inside, what is the necessity for it should be explained with sufficient evidence. It means what happened to how many children. The full testing is not yet over for this vaccine, it is not fully approved, it is Emergency Use Authorization. But where is emergency? What are the after-effects of this vaccine, if at all? If the consent is obtained after saying all this in writing, then this is a legal consent. If something happens to a child in future or even if nothing happens, the present form of consent can be claimed to be illegal.
It is for we parents, principles of the schools the management of the school to understand that there is no necessity of it for children. We have written to the prime minister - we meaning more than hundred doctors and more than thousand citizens - we had provided all the evidence in that - why the children do not need this. Even then this announcement had been done. Then we have to understand that it is we have to decide about the future of our children - that we are not to do any mistake unknowingly - there is no need. After understanding this very well, we have to tell this to all others, and develop the courage to say 'no' for this and that is our right.
Dr. Maya Valecha