One mother from Britain drove 13 hours to Italy to get her Covid vaccine. Her nine-year old daughter was with her, and she said she felt’much more comfortable to play on that’ rather than the virus.
Alice Colombo drove the 800-mile journey from Milan to Milan with her child. She has dual Italian citizenship.
She is not eligible for an England jab at the moment, as England’s vulnerable children are limited to 12 years old.
From Maidstone in Kent, Ms. Colombo made the long road trip to safeguard ‘the most valuable thing in the universe to me’.
BBC South East spoke to her: “I would rather, as a parent, run the risk of getting our daughter a vaccine we know a fair bit about that has been safely rolled out across a variety of countries.
Alice Colombo drove 13 hours from California to Italy along with her daughter, nine years old, in order for her child to receive the Covid vaccination. Pictured: Covid-19 is given to a child in Italy. File pictured
“Over 8 million children her age have had at least one jab, and reported side effects are far less than those in the adult population.
“It was much more fun to bet on it than to try to win with a virus that we don’t know much about, especially its long-term effects.
“We are far better informed about vaccines and their safety than about the virus itself.
“This is a constantly changing phenomenon that causes slightly different symptoms for each individual. Unfortunately, we do not have much data about the long-term effects.
“Why would you not protect my precious daughter?”
In November, the European Medicines Agency approved Pfizer’s vaccine for children five- to eleven years old.
The vaccine is available in Italy for children between five and eleven years of age since the beginning of last month. (file pictured
Most children within this age range are considered to have a very low chance of contracting coronavirus.
The United States, Spain (Germany), Spain, Greece, and Denmark did not stop them from slapping the kids.
Ms. Colombo is a public health worker and criticised the UK Government’s inaction to vaccinate children to stop Covid from spreading through schools.
She said, “I believe we are not doing enough in order to reduce the spread of HIV, especially in schools and primary schools. We can do much more in terms prevention.
“Sometimes the debate can be presented in binary terms. I would favor a lockdown for those who support increased security measures. It is not.
My daughter should be in school. However, I need her to stay safe. All the other parents out there who are in my position and want their kids vaccinated feel terrible.
As the country prepared for the rollout of the vaccines, in Italy, super-skilled acrobats took to the streets as they dressed up as superheroes and rappelled down walls at a Milan hospital. In capes they stopped at windows of a Pandemic Ward to welcome patients and children from a Pediatric Wing.
Acrobats disguised as superheroes climbed down walls at Milan’s Hospital to prepare for the launch of the new vaccine.
In bodysuits or capes, they visited patients in pandemic wards. They also met children from a pediatric wings.
As they started their vaccination drive, the doctors of San Gerardo Hospital in Monza donned fancy hats as well as colourful costumes.
Ministers state that further information regarding vaccinations for 5- to 11-year olds will be provided once scientific data is analyzed.
The UK is currently offering two doses to 12- to 15-year olds ‘to provide them with the greatest protection against COVID-19’.