The vaccination campaign that from Thursday will call children from 5 to 11 years old, the age group in which the contagion curve is climbing faster upwards, starts on the right foot. Yesterday, a large part of the regions joined with Lombardy, Piedmont and Tuscany which had already opened reservations for the first dose of Pfizer’s baby-size vaccine, with a dosage reduced to a third. In the evening there were already at least 200,000 appointments given by the regional sites. But the number is certainly higher, because it does not take into account who has turned to their family pediatrician. In Lombardy there were 40,000 booked, in Piedmont 12,000 out of 240,000 small children in the region, Tuscany stopped at 15,000, Emilia Romagna at 7,600, Lazio which opened reservations at 16 in a few hours has reached over 23 thousand. More than two thousand in five hours booked in Liguria, another 3,300 in Campania.
Sprint start
Continuing at this pace, on December 16 there will already be over 20% of the 3.6 million children in line. A sprint start that is exactly what the government wished, which before this eve was aiming for a result of 50% of immunized people in this age group, but which will now be able to move the bar higher. After all, the doses are not lacking. “By December 16, one million and 600 thousand will arrive and by January Pfizer should complete the deliveries sufficient to cover the entire range from 5 to 11 years”, assure the commissioner.
How to book
Thanks to the information provided to us by the Italian Pediatric Society, which joined the campaign together with the trade unions, we try to understand how to book and where you can go to get your little ones vaccinated. All Regions allow you to book through their sites, which provided the date of the first puncture also fix that of the recall, scheduled three weeks later. But as explained by Paolo Biasci, president of the union of pediatricians Fimp, “vaccines will not be lacking even in the studies of free choice pediatricians, where parents can call to agree on the day or perhaps to ask for reassurance. The double channel of booking at hubs with paths dedicated to children and pediatric clinics, Biasci always informs, is foreseen in Lazio, Tuscany, Puglia, Campania, Basilicata, Sicily, Liguria and Piedmont. In the latter, the Region itself informs, the parents will find out if their pediatrician has joined the campaign and at that point to book with him. “Knowing, however, that the studios at this moment are already under pressure for visits related to seasonal evils and that an appointment can be obtained first in the hubs. It being understood that pediatricians, both hospital and free choice, will also be present in these structures ”.
Where to get vaccinated
Piedmont, Lombardy, Lazio, Liguria, Campania, Sicily and Basilicata focus above all on hubs to immunize children, while also leaving the channel of pediatric studies open. «A sensible choice – comments Anna Maria Staiano, president of SIP – because not all pediatricians of free choice are able to administer vaccines in their studies, due to the lack of adequate space and staff dedicated to administrative tasks. But in all the hubs there are different paths for children with the presence of family pediatricians and those of ASL and hospitals, openings in the afternoon and for the whole day on weekends. And to dispel any doubts, families can contact their trusted pediatrician ». In Lazio there will also be clown doctors to welcome the little ones, while Puglia will send family pediatricians to vaccinate in schools. The most vulnerable children will instead be contacted everywhere by the hospitals that care for them.