Jab drive for kids 5 to 11 goes nationwide Feb. 14
After the initial rollout in Metro Manila, the COVID-19 vaccination of children age 5 to 11 will go nationwide starting Feb. 14, the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC), an agency of the Department of Health (DOH), said on Saturday.
An estimated 168,000 children of this age group have so far registered for inoculation, and some are receiving their first shots this Monday, Feb. 7, following the delivery on Friday night of 780,000 Pfizer vaccine doses especially formulated for minors. The launch was originally set for Feb. 4 but was postponed due to the delay in the vaccine’s arrival.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., who along with DOH and US Embassy officials welcomed the shipment at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, said “this is an emotional [mo
ment] for us ... because we can see that families can go out together [again].
“Secondly, our children won’t be restricted anymore’’ and can attend in-person classes, Galvez added.
Vaccination sites
Monday’s vaccination drive for the 5 to 11 age bracket will be launched at six pilot sites in Metro Manila: the Manila Zoo, the FilOil Flying V Centre sports complex in San Juan City, and the Philippine Heart Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital and SM North Edsa Skydome in Quezon City.
Each site would only administer an initial 500 doses, according to Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, special medical adviser for the National Task Force Against COVID-19, which Galvez also heads.
For the expansion starting Feb. 14, up to 38 vaccination sites should be ready in Metro Manila alone, and more are to be opened in the Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions, NVOC colead Dr. Kezia Lorraine Rosario said at Saturday’s Laging Handa briefing.
Feedback first
The NVOC will first monitor feedback from parents regarding their children’s condition after being vaccinated, before setting up more jab centers in other parts of the country, Rosario said.
The government aims to vaccinate 15.5 million in the 5 to 11 age group. No timetable has been set so far for meeting this goal.
Aside from vaccination efforts targeting minors, the third Bayanihan Bakunahan drive for the general population will be on
Feb. 10 and Feb. 11, Rosario said.
In Central Visayas, a DOH official has noted an increase in COVID-19 cases in the region particularly among minors from below 1 year old to 18 years.
Cases among children
At a press briefing on Saturday, Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, chief pathologist of the DOH Central Visayas, said there were 1,794 recorded cases involving minors in January, of whom 232 died of the disease.
She said the number of deaths was a huge leap from the 30 recorded in the region in December.
Of the remaining 1,562 cases (nonfatal) in January, 807 were not admitted in hospitals, she said.
“If these numbers [still won’t] encourage us to have our children vaccinated, I don’t know what will,” Loreche said.
In Central Visayas, at least 4,433 minors between 12 and 17 had been fully vaccinated as of Thursday, according to the DOH regional office.