Galvez: Vaccination of minors vs COVID-19 to start in six NCR hospitals

FILE PHOTO: A person receives a shot of a COVID-19 vaccine on January 27, 2021. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko

MANILA, Philippines — The vaccination of minors with comorbidities aged 12 to 17 against the new coronavirus disease will be piloted in six Metro Manila hospitals starting October 15.

This was according to the country’s vaccine manager Carlito Galvez Jr. on Monday, adding that COVID-19 vaccination of minors will be conducted in the following 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

“Ito po ay gagawin nating phased. Uunahin po natin yung 15 to 17 years old. And then yung 12 to 14 [years old],” Galvez said.

(We will do it in phases. We will start with 15 to 17 years old followed by 12 to 14 years old.)

READ: DOH readies 2-week test run of teen jabs starting October 15

Galvez said the vaccination of minors against COVID-19 will eventually be expanded to select Metro Manila local government units (LGUs).

“Itong pong mga [LGU] na ito ay ‘yung Manila, Pasig, Taguig, Makati, Quezon City, Mandaluyong. At after 30 days, magkakaroon na po tayo ng rollout sa buong NCR (National Capitla Region) at sa mga areas na meron na po tayong average na more than 50 percent na mga A2 (senior citizens),” Galvez said.

(These LGUs are Manila, Pasig, Taguig, Makati, Quezon City and Mandaluyong. After 30 days, we will roll out the vaccination for minors in the entire NCR and in areas that have inoculated an average of over 50 percent for A2.)

Galvez said the government will allocate 60 million vaccine doses for the nationwide vaccination of about 26 to 29 million minors who are 12 to 17 years old.

He did not specify the number of minors joining the pilot COVID-19 vaccination in the six Metro Manila hospitals.

“Ang initial natin sa pilot ay more or less ilang libo lang for the meantime. And then oobserbahan po natin. Once makita natin na walang major adverse effect, itutuloy po natin ‘yun. Gagawin po natin sa mga bata, phased at closely monitored, at saka talagang sequential,” Galvez said.

(The initial number of minors joining the pilot is more or less a few thousand for the meantime. And then we will observe them. Once we see that there’s no major adverse effect, we would continue it. What we’ll do to the minors, phased and closely monitored, and really sequential.)

RELATED STORY

Assent of minors, parents’ consent needed for COVID-19 vaccination 

KGA