The Muntinlupa City government has vaccinated nearly 1,500 kids aged five to 11 years old in the first three days of the “Resbakuna Kids” campaign.
Kids are being vaccinated at two sites designated by the city government. These are the city-run Ospital ng Muntinlupa in Barangay Alabang and the Laguerta Health Center in Barangay Tunasan.
The city government launched the COVID-19 vaccination of the kids on Feb. 7 and as of Feb. 9, a total of 1,479 have been inoculated.
At the Ospital ng Muntinlupa, 800 were vaccinated from Feb. 7 to 9. Of the total, 86 were classified as pediatric A3, or those with comorbidities, and 714 were without.
Comorbidity is defined as “more than one disease or condition is present in the same person at the same time,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At the Laguerta Health Center, 679 children aged five to 11 were vaccinated, all without comorbidities. The city government targets to vaccinated 68,198 kids aged five to 11 in Muntinlupa.
Dr. Edwin Dimatatac, director of the Ospital ng Muntinlupa, told Manila Bulletin last Feb. 8 that they did not record any adverse reactions among the kids who were vaccinated.
The Department of Health said 9,784 kids were vaccinated in the country on the first day of the rollout on Feb. 7.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) issued a statement supporting the vaccination of kids aged five to 11.
“As mentioned by the Joint Statement of the Philippine Pediatric Society and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines, COVID-19 directly affects children. While it is true that most present as mild or asymptomatic cases, some may develop more serious consequences such as Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), and even death,” the PMA said.
It added, “In addition, the pandemic has already adversely affected the growth, mental health, learning, and health-seeking behaviors of children and their families.”
“The available COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 years have undergone extensive evaluation from the United States Food and Drug Administration. They have been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration. They have been found to be safe and effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and its complications. Providing COVID-19 vaccines will help reduce the disease burden in this age group,” the PMA added.
It said, “Thus, the PMA supports the DOH and NTF in their efforts to protect the Filipino children against COVID-19 through vaccination. The PMA agrees with the PPS and PIDSP in encouraging parents to discuss their concerns regarding vaccination with their health care provider.”