Adult members of the family should get vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to protect children from the viral illness, the Pediatric Society of the Philippines (PPS) and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP) said.
“The best way to protect children against COVID-19 is to vaccinate the adults who take care of them,” said both the PPS and PIDSP in a joint statement.
“Vaccinating qualified adult household members not only protect these individuals, but also extends protection to children and other vulnerable persons who cannot be vaccinated,” they added.
The groups noted that “studies have shown that children are usually infected with SARS-CoV-2 from an adult.”
Given the limited vaccine supply, the adult population should remain the priority in the COVID-19 vaccination program.
“(We) recommend that the older and more vulnerable adult age groups should still be given precedence in the vaccination roll-out,” they said.
“Once a sufficient percentage has been vaccinated in the priority adult groups, children 12 years-old and above may be considered for vaccination, with priority given to those who live in areas with high transmission and those with comorbidities,” they added.
COVID-19 in children
The PPS and PIDSP also backed the statement of the Department of Health (DOH) that COVID-19 cases are increasing among all age groups and not only in children.
The pediatric groups said that the Philippine General Hospital and the Philippine Children's Medical Center had more cases of COVID-19 in children last March, April and May 2021 compared to July.
They also noted that the National Children's Hospital has shown an increase in admissions last July, while the Philippine Children's Medical Center has “shown a different trend.”
“There is lack of comprehensive local data on hospital admissions, case severity, and disease outcomes amongst the different pediatric age groups, although studies are ongoing,” the groups said.
“Research is also being done to determine if the Delta variant causes increased incidence in children compared to other age groups. Currently, there is yet no concrete evidence to support that this variant is more virulent and may cause more severe disease in children,” they furthered.
Related story: DOH says all age groups experiencing increase in COVID-19 cases