1 in 8 COVID-19 patients are children. Indonesia has the worst mortality rate in the world for children under 5 years old, with more than 100 deaths a week. In addition to that, children with special needs who are infected with COVID-19 have a higher mortality rate and are four times more likely to contract COVID-19 than others. This is why YCAB Foundation reaches out all parties to join forces in providing vaccination for special needs children.
Children with special needs are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection because they need to live with a care staff. It is not possible to keep them isolated and comprehension of the gravity of the pandemic is challenging. With spikes of death rates in children, we need to act fast to accelerate our nation's COVID-19 vaccination. The slow rollout of vaccinations is attributed to the lack of medical staff vaccinators and the lack of proper infrastructure.
Vaccinating children with special needs in YCAB's clinic will offer a special facility with additional care staff and support to ensure their comfort and ease during the vaccination process. The clinic provides the children with privacy and an efficient vaccination process that will not be traumatic. With mobility being one of the biggest obstacles for children with special needs especially those from marginalized communities; transportation will also be provided.
Vaccination protects people against Covid-19 but if just a few people in the community get vaccinated, the virus can continue to spread. As more receive the vaccine, a collective defense against the virus is built so that the risk of an outbreak will be minimized. The long-term impact will be to ensure equal opportunities and rights in the health sector for people with special needs.
