MANILA, Philippines – Over 18,000 minors with co-morbidities have so far received their first dose of vaccine against COVID-19 since the program was launched on Oct. 15, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
In a statement, the DOH said that a total of 18,666 children aged 12 to 17 years old have been inoculated during the initial phase of the pediatric vaccination in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The vaccination drive is now on its second phase with 26 hospitals administering COVID-19 vaccines to the pediatric sector.
The DOH said the nationwide rollout of COVID-19 vaccination among children will begin on Nov. 3.
“Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will still be used among children during the nationwide rollout,” DOH Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire said in the same statement.
“Further details and the guidelines with regard to the nationwide expansion of pediatric vaccination will be released once finalized,” she added.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there are around 12.7 million children aged 12 to 17 in 2021.
Meanwhile, the DOH continues to urge the adult population, especially those belonging to priority groups A2 and A3, to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to achieve the cocoon effect, which protects the children at home.
The department further emphasized that “choosing to get vaccinated will not only protect the person itself but also those around, along with the strict and religious adherence to minimum public health standards and other preventive measures implemented.”
The National Task Force against COVID-19 earlier said that the national government aims to complete the vaccination of children within this age group by December.
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