THE government’s COVID-19 response team said the vaccination program for children aged five to 11 will start on February 4.
National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. said vaccinators are already being trained in preparation for the inoculation of the said age group.
He reported that the vaccine supply for five to 11 year-old children is expected to arrive within the last week of January.
“Iyong ating memorandum guidance ay lalabas po ngayong week at ‘yung ating town hall meetings na pamumunuan po ng Department of Health (DOH) and series of trainings ay tuloy-tuloy ngayong week, from January 24 to 28,” Galvez said.
“Kasama po dito ang capacity building ng vaccination teams, ‘yung town halls to the public, vaccination site preparation, at saka po ‘yung vaccine site final inspection na gaganapin po hanggang January 25 hanggang January 31,” he added.
The reformulated vaccines to be used for the children have been proven to be safe and effective, Galvez assured the public.
The government will implement a gradual rollout for children aged five to 11, which is similar to what was done for the 12-17 years old age group.
Galvez said Phase 1 of the implementation will be conducted in two vaccination sites per city in Metro Manila.
For Phase 2, the vaccination sites in Metro Manila will be expanded, together with the pilot rollout in select sites in other regions.
By vaccinating Filipino children aged 0 to 17, a population estimated at about 39 million, Galvez said it is part of the national vaccination strategy to help build a “wall of immunity.”
The concept involves the creation of a wall of protection by vaccinating a significant portion of the country’s population to help prevent more infections, hospitalizations and virus mutations.
Galvez said the country’s wall of immunity is anchored on the government’s vaccination strategy which includes vaccinating at least 90 million Filipinos by the end of the second quarter of this year, administering booster shots to the eligible adult population, and vaccinating the children.
As of January 25, a total of 6,492,213 booster shots and additional doses have already been administered nationwide.
Earlier, the national government, in partnership with local government units and the private sector, kicked off the Resbakuna sa Botika at Klinika program to ramp up booster vaccination.
A total of 2,242 booster shots have already been administered after three days of the program’s pilot implementation in seven partner pharmacies and private clinics,
Presidential Adviser for COVID-19 Response Secretary Vince Dizon said the program will be expanded outside Metro Manila following its successful pilot rollout.
As of January 24, the Philippines has already administered a total of 123,866,249 vaccine doses. Of this number, 57,514,283 are already fully vaccinated.