If other senior citizens do not want to get coronavirus disease (COVID-19) jabs, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) urged the government to consider giving these vaccines to children.

“As the active ally of the government, we have been prioritizing senior citizens to get vaccinated for four months now,” PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Senator Richard Gordon said in a statement on Tuesday, Aug. 24.

Being at the forefront of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Program of the government ever since its first “Bakuna Center” opened in March, the PRC and Gordon has been encouraging the public --- especially those under the COVID-19 priority groups --- to get vaccinated the soonest possible time.

“We can assume that many of them are not willing to get immunized so we can just vaccinate whoever wants to get vaccinated even children below eighteen years old since they are vulnerable and willing once this is allowed by the DOH ,” Gordon said.

Gordon noted that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Philippines has already approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for emergency use authorization (EUA).

As the PRC has played a big role in the nationwide measles and polio vaccination in partnership with the DOH, Gordon also hoped that the country can start vaccinating children soon because they are also at risk.

Vaccinating children, PRC said, will “contribute to herd immunity nevertheless.” This, the humanitarian organization added, can “perhaps open the possibility of sending the children back to their campuses.”

Meanwhile, Gordon reiterated that the PRC has always gone out to bring vaccines to the people and always assured them of the safety and efficacy of vaccination. “Together, let us win our war against COVID-19,” he added.