The Taguig City government has issued the guidelines on the vaccination of minors aged 12 to 17 years old with comorbidities.
The national government started last week the vaccination of the city’s pediatric population of 12 to 17-year-olds in the country. St. Luke's Medical Center-Global City in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig is one of the pilot hospitals for the vaccination of minors.
According to TRACE Taguig, based on the Department of Health’s Department Circular 2021-0464, children with certain underlying medical conditions or comorbidities aged 12 to 17 may receive coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines with approved Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA approved in May the use of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 12 years old and above followed by Moderna last month.
According to DOH’s Department Circular 2021-0464, the comorbidities for 12 to 17-year-olds, or Pediatric A3, eligible for the vaccine are:
A. Medical complexity: long term dependence on technical support e.g. tracheostomy associated with developmental delay and/or genetic anomalies.
B. Genetic conditions: Down’s Syndrome (Trisomy 21), Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD), genetic disorders affecting the immune systems such as primary immunodeficiency disorders, thalassemia, and other chromosomal abnormalities.
C. Neurologic conditions: Seizure Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), Cerebral Palsy, Stroke in the Young, Chronic Meningitis e.g. Tuberculosis, chronic neuromuscular diseases, and chronic demyelinating diseases.
D. Metabolic/endocrine diseases: Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Hypothyroidism, Diabetes Insipidus (DI), Adrenal insufficiency, Hypopituitarism, and other hereditary metabolic diseases.
E. Cardiovascular diseases: Hypertension, Congenital Heart Diseases (CHDs), Cardiomyopathy, Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), Mitral Valve Disease, Pulmonary Hypertension with Right Heart Failure.
F. Obesity: BMI > 95th percentile for age and height.
G. HIV infection
H. Tuberculosis: Pulmonary (collapse/consolidations, with empyema, and miliary), Extrapulmonary, (pleural effusion, pericarditis, abdominal, genitourinary, central nervous system, spinal column, bone, joint, cutaneous, ocular and breast), and Disseminated (involvement of two (2) or more organs).
I. Chronic Respiratory Diseases: Chronic Lung Diseases (Bronchiectasis, Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Chronic Aspiration Pneumonia), Congenital respiratory malformation, Restrictive Lung Diseases, neuromuscular disorders, syndromic with hypotonia, skeletal disorders, chronic upper and lower airway obstruction (Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Tracheomalacia, Stenosis, Bronchial Asthma).
J. Renal Disorders: Chronic Kidney Diseases, Nephrotic Syndrome, End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), patients on dialysis and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), Glomerulonephritis (e.g. lupus nephritis), Hydronephrosis.
K. Hepatobiliary Diseases: Chronic Liver Disease, Cirrhosis, Malabsorption Syndrome.
L. Immunocompromised state due to disease or treatment: Bone marrow or stem cell transplant patients, solid organ transplant recipients, haematological malignancies (leukemia, anemia, thalassemia), cancer patients on chemotherapy, severe aplastic anemia, autoimmune or autoinflammatory disorders requiring long-term immunosuppressive therapy (e.g. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis), patients receiving immune-modulating biological therapy , patients receiving long term systemic steroids , functional asplenia, patients who underwent splenectomy.
According to TRACE Taguig, parents and guardians need to prepare the following documents: medical certificate, proof of filiation/kinship and proof of identity. They are advised to register with trace.taguig.gov.ph.
For proof of identity, the following ID cards of the parent or guardian that can be presented are:
1. SSS Card
2. GSIS Card
3. Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) Card
4. Land Transportation Office (LTO) Driver’s License
5. Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) ID
6. Philippine Identification (PhilID)
7. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) E-Card
8. Commission on Elections (Comelec) Voter’s ID or Voter’s Certificate
9. Senior Citizen ID
10. Philippine Postal ID
11. Seafarer’s Record Book
12. Valid or Latest Passport
13. Others