Department of Health-Central Visayas chief pathologist Dr. Mary Jean Loreche. (Screengrab from OPAV video)
CEBU CITY – Most children who died of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) from April 2020 until January this year were found to be unvaccinated, an official of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) said on Monday.
DOH-7 regional director Dr. Mary Jean Loreche said in a presser a total of 121 pediatric deaths were recorded during the period, most of them unvaccinated.
“Let’s do remember that we have not yet started the vaccination for the pediatric population aged 5 to 11 or under 5 years old. That’s the reason why we have high number of deaths in their age group,” Loreche said in Filipino.
Records also showed that children aged 13 to 18 accounted for 40 deaths, but she said they don't have the statistics yet as to how many of them were unvaccinated.
“But as it is, let be at 40, considering that the vaccination drive for 12 to 17 was done later,” Loreche added.
She noted that some young Covid-19 patients could develop a multi-system inflammatory disease in their heart, lungs, kidney, or brain that may worsen their infection.
The vaccination rollout for children aged 5 to 11 already started in the National Capital Region but will kick off in Central Visayas on February 14.
Loreche cited the full support from the Philippine Pediatric Society and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines in the preparations for the inoculation of this age group.
“They are much more knowledgeable in terms of children’s health because they are the ones who attended to their diseases," she said.
“Let’s not take our children for granted. We should give what they deserve. And of course, the psychosocial development understanding that children are social beings and that we need to bring them back to the environment that is best suited for them so that they can be children again, play, talk, laugh, learn, and interact with fellow children,” Loreche added. (PNA)
