THE effects of vaccination on pregnancy and fertility, the benefits of mask-wearing, and additional pre-exam support were among issues raised by Highlands College students during a Covid Q&A session.
A panel of experts were grilled by a group of around 30 students during the lunchtime session, which will also be broadcast on YouTube.
Asked about the impact of vaccination on pregnancy by one female student, deputy medical officer of health Dr Ivan Muscat said large-scale studies had shown that there was no increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or congenital abnormalities for women who were vaccinated before or during pregnancy.
He added that there was no evidence of lower levels of fertility among women or men as a result of vaccination, and that the jab would help protect against serious illness from Covid.
The event was part of a government bid to communicate directly with college students and schoolchildren and provide information about Covid vaccination. Currently just over half of those aged 12 to 15 have had a first vaccine dose, along with two-thirds of 16- and 17-year-olds.
Challenged about the benefits of wearing masks, which remain compulsory in secondary schools and collages, Dr Muscat said that there was a proven benefit in trapping droplets and aerosols that might otherwise be released and infect surfaces or float in the air.
Potential difficulties for those who would be required to take exams having had minimal examination experience were also cited as a concern by one student.
Education director Sean O’Regan said there was close liaison between his department, schools and examination boards, while Highlands principal Jo Terry-Marchant said that all three of the college’s university partners had ‘no detriment’ policies designed to identify cases where students might have been disadvantaged.
Asked about the approach by some jurisdictions to make vaccinations mandatory, Children’s and Education Minister Scott Wickenden said this was not something he agreed with.
He said: ‘Consent is one of the most important attributes we have and I would never want to take that away. We want to give people access to information so that they can make an informed choice.’
One student asked when the Island would be able to live with the virus and treat it as another virus, like flu, saying people were tired of restrictions.
Dr Muscat said: ‘All the focus is on bringing the virus to a non-pandemic state and I feel that’s the direction we are going in.
‘Exactly when we will reach that point is something I can’t answer – we are getting close, but we’re not quite there yet.’
Mr O’Regan said case numbers were studied daily, with encouraging recent signs of a fall. After a peak of 1,052 new infections in education settings during the last week of January, the weekly tallies during the first half of February have been 977 and 698.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Richard Renouf has confirmed that while most Covid-19 legislation will expire at the end of April, he will seek to retain the legal provision allowing ministers to step up measures if needed.
The current enabling law expires on 1 August, but Deputy Renouf said he wanted to extend this to 16 December, allowing the new Council of Ministers to review the need for legislation and propose any further measures necessary.
