By Ma. Cristina Arayata | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., assured that the reformulated vaccine against the coronavirus disease 2019 is safe for children, saying the rollout of the vaccination program for five- to 11-year-olds would push through on Feb. 7.
“This is safe and has been studied by scientists across the globe,” Galvez, who is also vaccine czar, said during the arrival of 780,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine for children at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Friday, (Feb. 4) night.
He said with the arrival of the government-procured reformulated vaccine, he could already see families going out together and kids playing around freely.
“We are very confident that many people will support the government in the vaccination rollout,” he said, adding that this is necessary as the nation moves forward to the “new normal”.
Galvez noted that 167,000 children have been registered to take part in the vaccination of minors set on Monday.
“Cebu, Iloilo, and Bacolod are very eager to participate,” he said.
The Philippine Pediatric Society also supports the country’s vaccination efforts, he added.
“I urge the parents to register their children so that we could give them protection against COVID-19,” Galvez said.
Meanwhile, US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Heather Variava likewise vouched for the vaccine, saying it is “very safe and effective” and almost six million kids in the United States have been inoculated.
The vaccine, she said, is essential so that kids could socialize, play, and experience face-to-face learning again.
Based on the Philippines’ COVID-19 vaccination dashboard, a total of 127,617,088 doses have been administered as of Feb. 2. (PNA) – bny
