File photo courtesy of Pangasinan province
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The Department of Health Center in Ilocos Region (DOH-1) targets to vaccinate some 731,334 children aged 5 to 11 against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) starting February 14.
In a phone interview on Monday, DOH-1 Covid-19 focal person Dr. Rheuel Bobis said Pfizer vaccines will be administered to this pediatric population as it has obtained the emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
“Although they are of the same brand, the vaccine formulation for the children will be different as it has lesser dosage,” he said.
He added the vaccine for the children has the same purpose of protecting them against severe effects of Covid-19, as well as death from the coronavirus.
Bobis reiterated that the vaccine is safe.
“We target to immunize 60 percent of the target population in one month starting February 14 and the remaining number for the next two months,” he said.
Bobis said of the total number, 70,133 have comorbidities.
“We will start administering in the hospitals and then eventually to the local government units (LGUs),” he added.
The vaccination rollout for children aged 5 to 11 in the country will start on February 7 at the National Capital Region.
Meanwhile, Ilocos Region is also preparing for the third leg of the National Vaccination Days (NVD) on February 10 and 11.
Bobis said the targets for another round of NVD are those who have not yet received primary doses and those who should already receive booster shots.
“We need to vaccinate more than 100,000 who have not yet received any single shot. The LGUs will have to find their constituents (and) even go house-to-house to convince them,” he said.
He also underscored the importance of increasing the number of those who have to receive booster shots for their added protection.
As of February 7, some 6.64 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the Ilocos Region, ranking the region first in the vaccination rollout in the entire country. (PNA)
