Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire speaks during the Department of Health’s online media forum on Monday, September 20, 2021. Screengrab from DOH Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday said the first day of pediatric vaccinations was successful, a day after the government began its rollout of pediatric inoculations among children with comorbidities on Friday.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during the Laging Handa briefing that no adverse events following immunization were reported.
As of 8 p.m. on Friday, Vergeire said 1,151 children were immunized against COVID-19 with either Pfizer or Moderna.
Eight hospitals—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 Makati Medical Center—participated in the pilot inoculation drive.
Children with the following comorbidities are eligible for vaccination: medical complexity (i.e., those with long-term dependence on technical support); genetic conditions; neurologic conditions; metabolic/endocrine diseases; cardiovascular diseases; obesity; human immunodeficiency virus infection; tuberculosis; chronic respiratory diseases; renal disorders; hepatobiliary diseases; and immunocompromised due to disease or treatment.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said the success of inoculation was a major development because “we shall be able to continue the expansion of our [in-person] classes.”
The vaccination of children aged 15 to 17 years will be followed by those aged 12 to 14 years, adding that the government expected 1.2 million adolescents with comorbidities to register for the jabs. Of this figure, 144,123 were from Metro Manila.
The next phase of the vaccination rollout for minors is scheduled for Oct. 22 at 17 hospitals identified by the local governments in Metro Manila.
In Quezon City, for example, city hall asked parents or guardians to register their minors with comorbidities for vaccination.
Mayor Joy Belmonte said this age group comprised about 30 percent of the city’s 3.1 million residents.
But physician Malu Eleria, head of the QC Task Force Vax to Normal, said they would have to wait for vaccine supply from the national government.
Galvez said the country so far had received 91.3 million vaccines against COVID-19, both procured and donated, since February. Of these, 57 percent or around 52 million doses have already been administered.
The latest to arrive in the country on Saturday were the 720,000 doses of original Sputnik V from Russia. Half of the doses were for the first component, while the other half were for the second component.
The country has yet to receive its first single-dose Sputnik V Light, which was expected to arrive last month.