SINGAPORE - As parents help their children gear up for the upcoming examination season, many have had to grapple with a new challenge - getting their kids vaccinated with minimal disruption to school, examinations and study schedules.
Some parents have created timetables to schedule vaccination dates that do not clash with the child's studies or exams.
Housewife Shirley Chiah, 49, keeps a calendar of important events for her three children, aged 14 to 19, and scheduled their vaccinations so the dates would not clash with exams or other important activities.
"When planning the dates for my kids, I ensured they would have no crucial events in the four to five days following the vaccination."
For example, she rescheduled her youngest child's appointment because it would have clashed with his examinations. He is 14 and in Secondary 3.
She says: "He has a Chinese oral examination later this month (July), which is close to the original date for his second dose. I decided to bring forward the date for his second dose by a week, so it would not affect his performance in the oral examination."
Madam Chiah says she and her eldest child, who has completed his vaccination, experienced some side effects after their second dose. Concern about side effects like fatigue and flu symptoms affecting the younger ones prompted her to come up with a vaccination timetable for them.
She scheduled the vaccination dates for her two younger children on Friday evenings, so they would have time to rest at home during the weekend.
For parents whose children are sitting major exams, deciding when to get their children vaccinated is an additional headache.
Children who are taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) this year, for example, are eligible for the vaccine only after they turn 12, and their birthdays may fall close to or even during exam dates.
A mother of two, who wanted to be known only as Janice, says she will be rescheduling the vaccination dates for her sons Evan and Ryan, as getting jabbed may disrupt their studies during a crucial period. Evan will be taking his PSLE and Ryan his O-level Chinese exam this year.
"Evan is under 12, so he's not due for vaccination yet. His birthday is in the middle of the preliminary exams. The PSLE follows shortly after, so we are looking to get him vaccinated after that," she adds.
The 44-year-old housewife adds that she postponed Ryan's vaccination date as she wanted to avoid disrupting his study schedule. "This is the last stretch. We've heard there are side effects like lethargy."
Another housewife, Ariel, 48, who wanted to be known only by her first name, is also planning to postpone the vaccination date of her only child, Kyle, until after the PSLE.
She says: "We are worried that getting the vaccination might have an impact on Kyle's study schedule, as side effects like flu symptoms may hinder his ability to study and leave him with less time for exam preparation."
