Vaccination against COVID-19 of children ages 5 to 11 in the Philippines will begin on February 4, according to vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr.
“Tuloy na tuloy na po ‘yung ating pagbabakuna ng 5 to 11 kasi nakita po natin na parating na po ang ating mga produkto at tinatawag nating vaccine special formulation sa 5 to 11,” he said in an interview with TeleRadyo Thursday.
There are only ten micrograms per dose for ages 5 to 11, compared to 30 micrograms dose for ages 12 and up.
Galvez said Pfizer doses are expected to arrive next week.
He said the vaccination would start in Metro Manila, where there are 24 vaccination sites for the age group. Then they target to expand it to other regions after a week.
Galvez added that the government also plans to provide booster shots for children.
Based on government data, more than 59.9 million Filipinos received the first dose, while 57.8 million were fully vaccinated. In addition, there are 6.6 million who already have a booster dose.
Meanwhile, the government aims to speed up the rollout of the COVID-19 booster shot as part of achieving the so-called “wall of immunity,” which seeks to prevent the surge whenever there is a new variant.
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Galvez: Vaccination for ages 5-11 on Feb. 4 continues
“Kailangan po talaga na patuloy po ang ating pagbabakuna ng karagdagang booster shots para sigurado po na tuloy-tuloy ang proteksiyon at handa po tayo na kahit anong variant ang makapasok sa bansa ay mayroon po tayong tinatawag na series of wall of protection, or wall of immunity,” explained Galvez.
Of the 57.8 million Filipinos who have the complete vaccine, only about 6.7 million have a booster or extra dose.
On Tuesday, just over 191,000 received it — less than half the target of being able to roll out half a million booster shots per day.
To achieve the immunity wall, vaccinating all qualified individuals is also important to vaccinate against COVID-19.
So they call on parents to vaccinate their children when the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 is open, which is expected on February 4.
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