Nearly 9,800 children aged five to 11 have been vaccinated against COVID-19 during the first day of the inoculation of the said age group, Department of Health (DOH) Usec. Myrna C. Cabotaje bared during a “Laging Handa” briefing on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
The government held the pilot COVID-19 vaccination of children aged five to 11 in 32 inoculation sites last Feb. 7.
With only one reported adverse effect after inoculation, Cabotaje said that the first day of the vaccination of children aged five to 11 was successful.
“Naging matagumpay at maayos naman ang nagging simula ng ating bakunahan para sa pediatric, five to 11 years old kahapon. Wala naman tayong na-encounter na report ng any untoward incident. Sa kabuuan, tayo ay nakapagtala ng 9,784 pediatric five to 11 years old as of 8 p.m. (The start of vaccination for five to 11 years old yesterday was successful. There is no untoward incident reported. All in all, we have recorded 9,784 aged five to 11 who have been vaccinated as of 8 p.m.),” she said.
Cabotaje said an 11-year-old child from Paranaque City experienced a “non-serious adverse event following immunization.”
“Namantal ang braso at mga kamay niya matapos mabakunahan pero sa araw ding iyon ay nawala ito, nag-resolve ang kanyang rashes (The child’s arms and hand got a little swollen after being vaccinated but it also subsided, the child’s rashes resolved),” she said.
Health experts said such reactions are just normal and are expected after inoculation, however, they said that parents must still monitor and report to health authorities any response of their children to vaccines.
Cabotaje encouraged parents to have their children inoculated by saying that getting the jab provides protection against the dreaded disease.
She added that by doing so, inoculated children infected with COVID-19 will not suffer serious complications caused by the disease and it will not be fatal for them.
‘Safe and Effective’
Cabotaje maintained that the vaccine being used for the inoculation of children aged five to 11 are safe and effective as attested by pediatricians and experts.
She noted that before the vaccine was given emergency use authorization or EUA by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it underwent a "very strict study and scrutiny by the agency to ensure its safety and efficacy.”
Citing the data of Pfizer, Cabotaje said the COVID-19 vaccine of Pfizer has 90.7 percent effectiveness against COVID-19.
“Age appropriate ‘yung ating tinurok sa kanilang mga bakunang Pfizer na five to 11. Base sa kasalukuyang datos ng Pfizer, ang bakuna sa five to 11 ay ligtas at epektibo . Nakakitaan ito ng 90.7 percent effectiveness laban sa COVID-19 (The vaccine we are using is age appropriate for five to 11 years old children. Per the data of Pfizer, the vaccine is safe and effective for the age group. It also showed 9-.7 percent effectiveness against the disease),” the Health undersecretary noted.
Cabotaje said that a total of 33 countries are using Pfizer to vaccinate children aged five to 11, adding only six countries are using other brands.
So far, Pfizer is the only COVID-19 vaccine brand granted EUA by the FDA for children five to 11.
Supply shortage
The target of the government to vaccinate 15.5 million children aged five to 11 will depend on the supply that the country would receive, said Cabotaje.
She noted that, globally, there is still a “shortage in the supply of vaccine for children five to 11 years old”, saying that the vaccine for the country will arrive in tranches.
“We are expecting, hopefully, we can complete the 15 million by first quarter or at least April. Then, we will purchase another 15 million to complete the two doses we need to give to the children,” Cabotaje said.