By Alec Go
A total of 329,285 children aged five to 11 years old have received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines and only eight had non-serious adverse events, the Department of Health (DOH) reported Friday (Feb. 18).
Based on National Vaccination Operations Center data, 12,228 of the recipients have comorbidities while 317,057 comprise the rest of the vaccinated younger pediatric population.
There are currently 482 Resbakuna Kids vaccination sites in the country.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said among the normal adverse events experienced by recipients after vaccination include blood pressure increase, fever, and chills.
“Sinisiguro ng kagawaran na ang ating mga healthcare workers sa ating vaccination sites ay handa para sa ano mang adverse events na maaaring maramdaman ng inyong anak,” she said.
The official called on parents and guardians anew to register their children in the vaccination program for additional protection, saying that the approved vaccine being administered to them are safe and effective.
“Huwag basta magpapaniwala sa mga impormasyong kumakalat sa social media at mangyaring-mag-verify muna tayo at magtiwala lamang tayo sa mga trusted at legitimate sources,” she said.
The government began the pilot implementation of the 5 to 11 years old vaccination on February 7 in the National Capital Region and was later expanded to other provinces.
