The president of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP) on Tuesday, Feb. 8, encouraged parents to have their kids vaccinated against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), saying it would allow them to return to their normal activities.
PIDSP President Dr. Mary Ann Bunyi said COVID-19 vaccines would aid children to return to in-school learning and return to play.
" to return to other social activities such as travel, vacationing, field trips, outdoor sports, camping, and other outdoor activities," Bunyi said during a public virtual briefing.
"Because children are believed to be contributors of viral spread in the community, there's a potential to reduce the spread in the community if children get the vaccine," she added.
Bunyi noted that COVID-19 vaccines also provide protection from complications like Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).
"Although it's true that COVID-19 is mild in children, children across all age groups can get seriously ill from the COVID-19 virus," she added.
"A dreaded complication called MIS-C is most frequently seen among children 5 to 11 years old and can occur even in children who have been infected with COVID-19 but remained asymptomatic or just had mild infections," Bunyi explained.
Citing data from the Center for Disease Control, Bunyi said as of Jan. 31, a total of 6,851 children have been reported to have developed MIS-C, with the highest number seen in the five to 11 age group.
"In Metro Manila from 2020 to 2021, in three public tertiary hospitals, 34 children have been reported to develop MIS-C and 22 children from two big hospitals were reported, and the mean ages that were observed were between five to eight years old," she said.
Bunyi reiterated that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for children aged five to 11, "The vaccine was found to have over 90 percent efficacy in preventing COVID-19 symptoms."
On Monday, Feb. 7, the country has started vaccinating children aged five to 11 against COVID-19.