Barangay health workers monitor children before they get their COVID-19 shots at the Municipal Vaccination Operation Center in San Marcelino town, Zambales province (Photo courtesy of San Marcelino Public Information Office)
MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker appealed to the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to prioritize vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 before they are allowed to go on face-to-face classes.
San Jose Del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes pointed out that the same standards should be applied for students at the college level and those in kinder and elementary schools.
“Kung ang mga nasa kolehiyo ay pinapagayan lamang nating pumasok ang mga mayroon nang full vaccination status, mas lalo sana nating proteksyonan ang mga mas batang estudyante na hindi pa bakunado,” Robes said in a statement.
(If students in college-level are only allowed to attend face-to-face classes if they are fully vaccinated, then we should also protect students who are not yet vaccinated.)
“Ang mga may pilot run ng face-to-face classes ay mga bata na nasa 5 to 11 age group na hindi pa nabakunahan dahil wala pang bakuna na pinapayagan sa kanilang edad,” Robes added.
(The pilot run of the face-to-face classes covers students aged five to 11 who are not yet vaccinated since there is no approved vaccine yet for their age.)
Citing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Robes pointed out that no vaccine manufacturer has submitted an Emergency Use Application for children 5 years to 11 years of age.
“Kaya ang aking panawagan sa ating FDA na kapag nagsubmit ang mga vaccine manufacturers para sa edad 5 to 11 years ay sana’y madaliin na ang pag-aaral lalo na ang mga vaccines na ginagamit na din sa nasabing age group sa ibang bansa,” Robes said.
(Our call to the FDA is to hasten their studies of the vaccines once manufacturers submit their application for age 5 to 11, especially since the vaccines are already being used for the age group in other countries.)
“In the face of this Omicron variant, we owe it to our young children to give them a fighting chance before we allow them to go back to the confines of our educational institutions,” she added.
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