PEDIA JAB. A healthcare worker prepares to inoculate a girl against the coronavirus disease 2019 during the launch of vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 years old in Cagayan de Oro City on Feb. 14, 2022. In a week, the city logged more than 5,000 inoculations under the youngest pedia category. (Photo courtesy of CDO CIO)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - In just a week since the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 years old was rolled out, the city has inoculated a total of 5,248 for the first dose of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine.
During Tuesday's online briefer, Dr. Ted Yu Jr., medical officer of the City Health Office (CHO) said the local government unit (LGU) achieved the figure since they started the pediatric vaccination here on February 14.
On Monday alone, the Department of Health - Northern Mindanao's (DOH-10) Covid-19 vaccination team inoculated a total of 522 children.
Despite the 5,000-mark on vaccinated children, Yu said the LGU local still needs to work double-time as they have a target population of 98,893 for children aged five to 11 years old.
The target population was based on the master list of enrolled students to all public and private schools in the city.
As of Tuesday, the local government tallied over 10,000 children who availed of the city's Covid-19 vaccination pre-registration.
The CHO data from March 15, 2021 to Feb. 14, 2022 showed the city has recorded 743 children aged 5 to 11 years old who have been infected by Covid-19.
Other than the 5 to 11 age group vaccination, the LGU has also fully vaccinated 531,106 individuals from the older population in the city.
This is equivalent to 89.52 percent of the total target population of 599,929.
Of the fully vaccinated, 95,881 individuals have received their booster shots and 25,051 individuals have received their first dose.
Yu urged the public to get vaccinated to help reduce the daily Covid-19 cases being detected in the city.
Low Covid-19 cases
This month, the city has again experienced fewer active Covid-19 cases.
As of February 21, the city only recorded 10 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total cumulative cases in Cagayan de Oro to 25,479.
Aside from the low number of new cases, the city also reported 258 new recoveries, bringing the total to 23,315 recoveries and reducing the total active cases to 1,245.
Deaths related to Covid-19 stand at 919.
Other NorMin provinces, LGUs
In Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, Dr. Khadafi Mapandi, an official of the LGU's CHO, said vaccines for children are clinically safe and parents should not be worried.
"This vaccine is safe as the Food and Drugs Administration has given an emergency use authorization (EUA) to the vaccines especially itong [this] Pfizer na nabigyan ng EUA na (which has secured an EUA and is) safe for children," she said.
Although parents are not compelled to submit their kids to vaccination, Mapandi said vaccines can protect them against Covid-19.
The city government of Marawi, through the CHO, also launched its Kids Resbakuna on Monday.
In Iligan City, the same call for parents to encourage allowing their children to get inoculated was made by the LGU.
One of the parents who allowed her twins to get the Covid-19 vaccine was Cherry Mae Paragados, of Barangay Santiago.
She said her twins have comorbidity linked to asthma, and the reason she allowed her children vaccinated was that she and her husband were afraid their children might get Covid-19.
One of Iligan City's vaccination sites includes the Adventist Medical Center, which is open every Wednesday. Meanwhile, children can get vaccinated at Robinsons Place Iligan on Friday and Saturday.
All vaccination sites are open between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Meanwhile, in Misamis Occidental province, 17 LGUs have activated 21 more vaccination sites from February 10 to 11.
The focus for the round of vaccination drive in the province was the dispensation of primary doses for unvaccinated A2 or senior citizens, unvaccinated A5 population, and individuals due for booster shots.
The province inoculated a total of 8,419 individuals coming from different priority groups during the two-day vaccination drive. (PNA)
