The Manila Times

Feb 4 and 5 jab days for pediatric kids

KRISTINA MARALIT, KAITHREEN CRUZ AND CHRISTIAN CROW MAGHANOY

DEDICATED vaccination days for children aged 5 to 11 are set to be conducted in 24 hospital and non-hospital- based facilities around Metro Manila early next month, February 4 to 5, National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. announced on Friday.

“Tuloy na tuloy na po ang ating pagbabakuna ng 5 to 11 dahil parating na ang ating mga vaccine na may special formulation sa February 2. Ang gagawin po natin, magdedesignate tayo ng hospital at non-hospital based sa each city sa Metro Manila, kaya magkakaroon tayo ng more or less 24 vaccination sites (We’re pushing through with our vaccination of those aged 5 to 11 because our procured vaccine with special formulation is arriving on February 2. We will designate hospital and non-hospital-based vaccinations in each city of Metro Manila where we will have more or less 24 vaccination sites),” Galvez said.

“Gusto nga po ng PMA (Philippine Medical Association) na mailagay itong parang vaccination days during weekend kasi nakikita nilang ‘yung mga nanay at tatay ay nagta-trabaho [tuwing weekdays]. More or less February 4 or 5 ang ating vaccination [days] para sa 5 to 11 years old (The PMA wanted to have the vaccination days during the weekend because they see that the parents work during weekdays),” he added.

After the initial rollout in the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila), Galvez said they will start accepting requests from other regions for the implementation of the initiative.

“Ang gusto natin talaga ay magkaroon ito ng phasing at sequence dahil alam natin na ang sektor na ito ay napakaimportante at very sensitive talaga. At considering na first time nating makatanggap ng children formulation ay talagang titingnan nating safe at effective talaga ‘yung pagbabakuna (What we want is to have a phasing and sequence because we know this sector is really important and sensitive. And considering it will be the first time we will be receiving children formulation, we are really studying if the vaccination is safe and effective),” he added.

“’Yung Regions 3 and 4, umaapela na gusto nang sumabay [sa NCR] dahil malaki na ang experience natin sa children vaccination para sa 12 to 17 (Regions 3 and 4 are appealing to hold it the same time as the NCR because we already have experience with the 12 to 17 children vaccination),” Galvez said.

The first batch of reformulated Pfizer jabs for pediatric vaccination is set to arrive in the country on January 31.

Amid preparations for the expansion of Covid-19 vaccination coverage for the pediatric population aged 5 to 11, the Department of Education (DepEd) also on Friday said it is working closely with the Department of Health (DoH) and local government units (LGUs) for its implementation.

During the “Laging Handa” public briefing on Friday, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said her department is coordinating with the implementing agencies on children’s vaccination, as it receives good feedback from parents on its nearing rollout.

According to DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan, around 14 million students enrolled in basic education aged 5 to 11 are eligible to receive the vaccine.

He said with the expansion of vaccination coverage for younger children, all students from kindergarten up to Grade 12, are covered.

“As we increase the rate of vaccination, we see increasing confidence of stakeholders in our plan to expand the conduct of face-to-face (F2F) classes. With our shared responsibility framework, the concurrence of the LGUs and permission from parents for their children’s participation in in-person classes, we will be able to see the expansion of our progressive face-to-face classes approved by President Rodrigo Duterte,” Malaluan added.

The DepEd assistant secretary for field operations said DepEd regional directors (RDs) and superintendents will be coordinating with the LGUs to use more schools as vaccination sites, especially for the pediatric vaccination.

“Based on our data, 841 schools are being used or have been used as vaccination sites for our regular vaccination program. With the vaccination for those aged 5 to 11, we are willing to coordinate with our LGUs, the DoH and the National Vaccination Operation Center if we need to have more schools be used as vaccination sites. The RDs and the superintendents may also decide on how many personnel they can commit to helping out with the rollout, especially our medical and nursing personnel,” he said.

Parents of children who will be receiving the jabs were advised to get medical clearance from a physician if their child has allergies or comorbidities, and also accompany their children during the conduct of the vaccination so they can sign the informed consent for them.

In an earlier statement, Briones urged eligible learners, as well as teaching and non-teaching personnel, to receive the jab against Covid-19 for the safe return to schools for the expansion of F2F classes.

The DepEd said vaccination will not be required to attend F2F classes, but it would be preferred as the vaccine provides an additional layer of protection for teachers and learners, and prevents further transmission of Covid-19.

The Education department also reported that 80 percent of its personnel, at around 779,000, have already received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as of January 25.

But there are still more than 200,000 unvaccinated DepEd personnel, five percent of whom have not yet registered to receive the jab.

Briones said her department is waiting for the release of the risk assessment by the DoH as a guide in completing its plans for the start of the expansion phase of F2F classes by February.

Retired police general Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, also on Friday, urged the government to consider giving incentives to the parents who would accompany their children to the vaccination sites as the rollout for the vaccination of 5 to 11 years old starts on Feb. 4, 2022.

Eleazar, who is gunning for a Senate seat under the Reform Party, said most of the parents are workers and would be forced to take a leave of absence, especially if the scheduled dates of vaccinations would fall on their working days.

“Mahirap bakunahan lalo na ‘yung mga bata pa, pero kampante sila na magiging okay ang lahat kapag kasama nila ang kanilang mga magulang. Malaking sakripisyo ito para sa mga magulang dahil karamihan diyan ay tiyak na kailangang umabsent sa trabaho (It is difficult to vaccinate, especially the young, but they are comfortable that everything will be okay when they are with their parents. This is a big sacrifice for parents because most of them will definitely have to be absent from work),” he told reporters.

Eleazar said the reality is that both parents are usually workers and the incentive system will also be a big help to solo parents.

The Pfizer vaccines to be used for the pediatric group are reformulated, which means that they have a lower dosage compared to the vaccines used for the 12 and above age groups.

Earlier, Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said Covid-19 infections in the NCR could have reached their peak.

The DoH reported 18,638 new Covid-19 cases, also on Friday, bringing the country’s tally to 3,511,491.

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2022-01-29T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-29T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://manilatimes.pressreader.com/article/281616718759147

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