A private hospital in Makati officially starts the first day of the COVID-19 pilot vaccination rollout for pediatric adolescents ages 12 to 17 years old with comorbidities. Image from Facebook / Makati Medical Center
MANILA, Philippines — Over 1,000 children aged 12 to 17 with comorbidities were vaccinated on the first day of pediatric inoculation in eight participating hospitals in Metro Manila.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), the National Vaccine Operations Center reported that there were 1,031 children inoculated as of 4 p.m., with the majority coming from the Philippine Heart Center, Makati Medical Center, St. Luke’s Medical Center – Bonifacio Global City, and Pasig City Children’s Hospital.
At present, only the COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to be given to minors.
The pilot run of the pediatric vaccination was conducted in hospitals so that referrals will be easier in case of serious adverse events following immunization, according to DOH
“It will also be conducted in a phased approach, wherein part of the expansion plan is implementing it in regions where there is more than 50% coverage for Priority Group A2,” the DOH said in a statement.
The DOH estimates that there are around 1.2 million children with comorbidities from ages 12 to 17 in the country.
Children with the following comorbidities are eligible for vaccination: medical complexity or those with long term dependence on technical support; genetic conditions; neurologic conditions; metabolic or endocrine diseases; cardiovascular diseases; obesity; HIV infection; tuberculosis; chronic respiratory diseases; renal disorders; hepatobiliary diseases; and those who are immunocompromised due to disease or treatment.
The inoculation of minors was piloted in eight hospitals, namely, the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Philippine Heart Center, Pasig City Children’s Hospital, Fe Del Mundo Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital-Global City, and the Makati Medical Center.