THE start of vaccination for children aged 5 to 11 years, which was originally set today, has been moved to February 7 because of a delay in the delivery of the reformulated COVID-19 pediatric vaccines, the Department of Health the and National Task Force against COVID-19 said yesterday.
“The rollout for vaccinating children aged 5-11 years old will be postponed for a few days due to logistical challenges… the COVID-19 vaccination of 5-11 year old will instead begin on 7 February (Monday),” DOH and NTF said in a joint statement.
The pilot program was supposed to be held today in three hospitals and three vaccination centers in Metro Manila — Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Children’s Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, and SM North Skydome, all in Quezon City; the Manila Zoo in Manila; and Fil-Oil Gym in San Juan City.
By next week, the program was supposed to be expanded to other parts of Metro Manila and the Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions. Thirty-eight vaccination sites have been readied for the pediatric vaccination.
The first batch of 780,000 doses of reformulated Pfizer vaccines for five-to-11- year age group was supposed to be delivered last night, followed by a weekly delivery until supply reaches 15 million doses.
The DOH-NTF statement said the vaccines will arrive on the night of February 4.
Prior to the announcement of delay in the pilot implementation, the DOH said there was a delay in the delivery of the Pfizer vaccines but NTF medical consultant Ted Herbosa said the vaccination will proceed as he assured the public that there are available vaccines in the country that can be used. He did not say where the vaccines came from and how many are available.
The government bought 15 million doses and aims to fully vaccinate and provide booster shots to around 15.56 million five-to-11-year-olds before June 30. Another 15 million will be bought for the booster shots.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, during the “Resbakuna sa Botika” events held IIoilo City and Bacolod City, encouraged parents to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19.
Galvez said it was observed that many children aged between five and 11 years have contracted COVID-19 and even been hospitalized.
He reiterated the inoculation of children is in preparation for the return of the face-to-face classes in schools.
TRO PETITION
The NTF and DOH acknowledged a petition to stop the vaccination of the five-to-11-year-olds but said the program will continue.
Two parents filed for a temporary restraining order (TRO) before a Quezon City court yesterday.
The NTF said more than 100,000 kids have pre-registered for the pediatric vaccination, which “signifies the willingness and confidence of parents to have their children vaccinated against the deadly virus.”
“We would also like to point out that parental consent forms are required for all minors who will be vaccinated, and that extra measures have been taken to ensure their safety….We enjoin all parents and guardians to make the right and informed decision for your children’s health and well-being,” it added.
The DOH said the policy on vaccinating children aged five to 11 is the result of careful study by health experts and has been approved in many countries.
“Over 8.1 million children have already been vaccinated worldwide, with no reports of deaths and serious adverse events among those vaccinated,” the DOH said.
The National Children’s Hospital in Quezon City said nearly 1,500 children aged 5 to 11 years have registered while the Las Piñas City government said around 9,000 minors have registered.
The National Vaccine Operations Center said that as of February 2, more than 127.57 million doses of vaccines have been administered nationwide, including 60.52 million as first dose.
Around 59.34 million individuals are now fully vaccinated while 7.7 million have received booster shots. — With Gerard Naval and Noel Talacay
