The Calabarzon Region (outlined in red) (Image from Google Maps)
LUCENA CITY, Quezon, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has ramped up its vaccination drive for children 5 to 11 years old in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) region to prepare them for the implementation of full face-to-face classes in schools by August.
“School-aged children have a higher risk of getting infected with COVID-19. That’s why other than our elders and those who have comorbidities, these children are one of our top priorities,” Dr. Leda Hernandez, the DOH assistant regional director, said in a statement.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is planning to implement full face-to-face classes by the next school year, which will start in August.
On June 9, representatives from the DOH, DepEd, Office of Civil Defense, and the Philippine Pediatric Society-Southern Tagalog Chapter met to discuss ways to widen the coverage of pediatric vaccination in the region.
As of June 8, the Regional Vaccination Operations Center said Calabarzon had 1,498,295 unvaccinated children between 5 and 11 years old.
—DELFIN T. MALLARI JR.
RELATED STORY
DOH targets COVID-19 vaccination of 1.5M kids in Calabarzon