PROTECTED CHILD. A child closes his eyes as Ian Lloyd Solizar, a male nurse in General Santos City, administers the reformulated Pfizer vaccine that signaled the start for the vaccination of 5 to 11-year-old age group in the area on Monday (Feb. 14, 2022). The city health office is targeting to immunize 9,000 children under the category. (Photo by Richelyn Gubalani – PNA Gensan)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The city government rolled out on Monday the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination drive for children aged 5-11 years old here.
The program was launched at the government-run Dr. Jorge P. Royeca Hospital (DJPRH), with several children inoculated.
After they got their vaccines, the kids also received cupcakes and biscuits as incentives for getting their much-needed protection against Covid-19.
City Health Officer, Dr. Rochelle Oco, said they aim to inoculate this week around 100 children of medical health front-liners aged 5 to 11.
However, Oco said she expects to inoculate more children in the age group to be vaccinated next week.
“The Department of Health has earlier set for us a target of 9,000 children but we are starting gradually for us to have ample time to assess our move so we are planning to have at least 100 children immunized this week,” she said.
Oco said they will announce the full schedule for the pediatric group next week.
A reformulated Pfizer vaccine is being used for the vaccination of the pediatric group as this is the only shot that has received emergency use approval for kids aged 5 to 11 years from the Food and Drug Administration.
In a separate interview, Dr. Fidel Peñamante, local chapter president of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), has appealed to the local government to fully start the children’s vaccination as soon as possible.
This, he said after the local PMA found out that the total pediatric cases here are higher during the Omicron wave compared to the Delta variant.
Though Covid-19 cases have been declining for the past few days, the Soccsksargen region, including this city, remains under the “high risk” case classification.
The city health office (CHO) has earlier targeted 459,732 individuals for its population immunization.
Data from the city government’s Facebook page indicated that 344,120 residents here are fully protected and 29,668 others have received their booster shots.
The city’s average daily vaccination rate has increased to 5,888 doses, the CHO said.
Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, this city logged a total of 17,430 cumulative confirmed Covid-19 cases, 16,397 recoveries, 423 active cases, and 604 deaths. (PNA)
