Vulnerable children aged 12 to 15 should be next in vaccine line

Rep. Mike Defensor of Anakalusugan Party-list. FILE PHOTO

The government must start the inoculation of vulnerable Filipino children age 12 to 15 as soon as the country is assured of a bigger monthly supply of COVID-19 vaccines, according to Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor.

Defensor in a statement on Sunday said children with comorbidities or underlying health conditions, such as asthma, must be vaccinated ahead as over 48,000 individuals age 19 and below had been infected with COVID-19.

“Assuming the National Task Force Against COVID-19 succeeds in negotiating with foreign manufacturers the delivery of 25 million doses per month, we should start immunizing vulnerable children in the 12 to 15 age group by October, alongside the general adult population,” he said.

In a separate statement, BHW Rep. Angelica Natasha Co called on the government to start the preregistration of children age 12 to 17 who are considered persons with disability, with comorbidities and are part of single-parent households.

“Kids younger than 12 can be given influenza and measles vaccines for now for their added protection while waiting for FDA-approved vaccines for their age groups,” she said.

Aside from the inoculation of children, Senior Citizens Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes expressed disappointment that only one of four seniors, or 25 percent, have been vaccinated.

Ordanes explained that many of the seniors are not tech-savvy and find it hard to register online.

Meanwhile, several people failed to show up for their jabs in Cebu City and Quezon City on Friday shortly after the controversial interview of a retired professor and pharmacologist—questioning the vaccines’ safety—went viral on social media.

The radio interview that was uploaded on Facebook has since been taken down.

But Dr. Minguita Padilla of Doctors for Truth and Public Welfare warned against its “repercussion” on the immunization program. INQ