Taguig LGU starts registration for vaccination of minors aged 5 to 11

The Taguig City government has started the registration for the vaccination of minors aged 5 to 11 years old.

TRACE Taguig announced on Dec. 28 that the registration for vaccination is “now open for ages 5-11 years old.”

“If you are a resident or student in Taguig, aged 5-17, you can now register in TRACE Taguig. For ages 5-11 years old, Taguig City will commence COVID-19 vaccination for this age group as soon as the Department of Health releases guidelines,” TRACE Taguig said.

The registration can be done at trace.taguig.gov.ph or TRACE kiosks in barangay halls to register and schedule the vaccination appointment.

“Adult supervision is advised in the registration process,” it added.

During the “Laging Handa” public briefing last Dec. 23, Food and Drug Administration Director General Eric Domingo said the FDA approved the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be used for 5 to 11-year-olds.

Domingo said the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) and the Department of Health (DOH) are planning to roll out the vaccination of 5 to 11-year-olds as early as January but it depends on the supply.

“It will depend if they have already ordered or if they have already secured , already bought supplies for the vaccine for children and if they are ready to roll out. The plan is really as early as January,” he said.

He said Pfizer applied for the EUA for 5 to 11 years old at the end of November, saying, “This vaccine is already being used in children in many countries such as the US, in Europe and in Canada and upon the review of the technical documents and the evaluation of the US FDA recommendations, our experts have found that data submitted is sufficient for the EUA approval.”

According to Domingo, “It is reasonable to believe that the vaccine may be effective to prevent COVID-19 and the benefits of vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks.”

The efficacy rate of the Pfizer vaccine is above 90 percent for children 5 to 11 years old and the adverse events during the clinical trial were “very mild” but no “unusual or important safety signals.”

The dosage that will be given to minors 5 to 11 years old will be lower than those given to adults.