By Lade Jean Kabagani and Raymond Carl Dela Cruz | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The pilot vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 years old against COVID-19 will be reset from the original February 4 schedule to February 7 due to logistical challenges.
The announcement was made through a joint statement of the Department of Health (DOH), the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, and the National Vaccination Operation Center (NVOC) released on Thursday (Feb. 3).
“Vaccinating children is critical to the country’s national vaccination program to ensure they have the added protection they need against COVID-19. National Vaccination Operation Center (NVOC) of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 remains committed to ensure that all Filipinos, including children, get vaccinated,” the joint statement read.
The NTF said there is a slight delay in the delivery of the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines allocated for this age group.
The initial shipment of the reformulated low-dosing Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines is expected to arrive on Friday (Feb. 4) evening, causing the postponement of the pilot run.
In a Facebook post, the city government of Quezon City advised parents and guardians, especially those who already have their schedules, to wait for further announcements.
The Manila City government has also instructed its residents to “kindly wait for further advice.”
The government earlier identified six vaccination sites in Metro Manila to initially hold the administration of COVID-19 reformulated jabs for a much younger population.
Among these sites are Philippine Heart Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Manila Zoo, SM North Edsa (Skydome), and San Juan City’s Fil Oil Gymnasium.
The government targets to vaccinate 15.56 million minors under the 5 to 11 years old bracket. (with reports from Marita Moaje/PNA) -ag
