UAE: Expat parents share experiences, as kids get their first Pfizer-BioNTech jab

Dubai - Kids looking forward to returning to school after taking vaccination

Now that they have received the first dose of their vaccinations against Covid-19, expatriate children in the UAE, between the age groups of 12-15, are looking forward to returning to school, Khaleej Times has learnt.

The students are looking forward to heading out for sports activities, having face-to-face interactions with their peers and classmates, and living a slightly more stress-free life.

Scores of parents UAE parents, whose kids have taken the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last week, and over the weekend shared their experience with Khaleej Times.

The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Protection (MoHAP) approved the emergency use of the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine for the 12 to 15 age group after strict clinical trials.

Moreover, doctors who have been at the forefront in the battle against Covid-19 in the UAE have said the vaccine must be given to teenagers so UAE can return to some form of normalcy.

Here is what UAE parents have to say about their kids’ vaccine experience:

>> Fifteen- year-old Riva Tulpule, a student of GEMS Modern Academy, received the jab on Tuesday, May 18. The family booked the appointment on the UAE Covid- 19 MoHAP app.

Her father Rahul Tulpule, a Dubai – based businessman and social worker said the family travelled to the Ajman Society of Social and Cultural Development as appointments were tough to find in Dubai. He said, “Her second dose is now due on June 8. She had discomfort in her arm in the first day after she took the jab, but she’s back to studies, playing her sports, and everything else.”

Tulpule said the family feels a lot more confident now that their daughter has taken the vaccine. “She returned to school three weeks ago. The entire last year, she studied at home,” he added. The family also hopes that Riva’s example would inspire other kids to do the same. “We are now hoping that they open up the vaccine for kids aged 6-12 so we can give it to our younger daughter as well,” he said.

>> Nandita Mathur, a UAE resident for 20 years, took her daughter Nikita, a GEMS Modern Academy student, to receive the jab at the Dubai Parks and Resorts Centre. “She is 12 and a half years old. The entire process was really smooth, right from booking the appointment to receiving the jab. She’s excited to go to school,” she said.

“We feel this sense of confidence now, especially since my aged mom is living with us. My daughter shares a room with her grandmom, and once she receives both doses, I will send her back to school. My son, who is 17, has also taken the vaccine,” stated Mathur.

>> Reshma Praveen, a Dubai resident for 19 years said her 12-year- old son Meet Praveen took the vaccine last week. He is a student of International school Choueifat. “A day after he took the jab, Meet went to school and faced no problems, except for a slight pain on the arm.”

Avoid giving kids’ paracetamol unless their post-vaccine symptoms are severe