BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR and GERARD NAVAL
GOVERNMENT yesterday began vaccinating children aged between five and 11 years, offering them ice cream, candies and chocolates, bags and school supplies, and loot bags to entice them to get their jabs against COVID-19.
Thirty-eight vaccination sites in Metro Manila have been tapped to host the pilot inoculation of some 1.7 million children from the 5-11 age group.
Some jab sites played kiddie movies while there were mascots, cartoon characters and marvel superheroes in other sites.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III assured parents and guardians of children the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
“These COVID-19 vaccines for children underwent extensive studies by the Vaccine Experts Panel, National Technical Advisory Group, Food and Drug Administration all aimed at ensuring its safety, efficacy, and quality,” he said at the launch at Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) in Quezon City.
“It would be wrong to compare it to Dengvaxia. This (COVID-19 vaccine) is definitely more globally implemented so it is rich in information, real world data, extensive clinical trial data. This is different,” he added.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., during vaccination ceremonies at the National Children’s Hospital and the SM North Edsa Skydome, said the vaccination of the kids are important in the government’s efforts to increase the protection of the people against COVID-19, and is in preparation for their return to face-to-face classes.
NTF medical adviser Ted Herbosa, in an interview with DZMM Teleradyo, said at least 170,000 children have been pre-registered in Metro Manila.
He also said kids will not be forced to be vaccinated even if their parents want them to be jabbed.
The Department of Health, in a memo dated February but released only yesterday, said it has dropped a provision that allows the government to provide “parental consent” for the inoculation of the pediatric vaccinees.
“The State cannot give permission if a 5-to-11-year-old child can be vaccinated or not,” Duque said in the memo.
Under the previous guidelines, in cases where the parent/guardian refuses to give consent to the vaccination despite the willingness of the minor child to have himself/herself vaccinated, the State may give the necessary consent and sign the consent form.
The provision was contested by parents who filed a petition before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to stop the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination for the younger kids.
Vaccine expert panel (VEP) member Dr. Rontgene Solante, during the “Laging Handa” public briefing, said the five-to-11-year-olds are as vulnerable to COVID-19 as elders, and during the Omicron variant surge, many of the younger kids have been hospitalized as they are unvaccinated.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, at the rollout of the vaccination drive at the Manila Zoo, urged the public to listen to science and not to those who spread misinformation against the vaccine, adding no government would its people to be harmed.
Moreno also said Manila will open other sites for the vaccination of the five-to-11 group.
