As the rollout of pediatric vaccination for kids age 5 to 11 begins today, Monday, the Department of Health (DOH) has strongly encouraged parents to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Vaccination will protect them from severe forms of COVID-19 disease and provide an additional layer of protection as they begin face-to-face schooling soon,” the DOH said on Sunday.
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje also reiterated that vaccination is not mandatory.
Globally, the DOH said more than 8.7 million children have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and “there have been no reports of deaths attributable to vaccines.”
It said 97.5 percent of those vaccinated did not experience side effects, 2.4 percent experienced mild side effects while 0.00013 percent experienced serious adverse events such as myocarditis or pericarditis, but all fully recovered.
According to the DOH, 77 percent of the target population of 12- to 17-year old adolescents have been vaccinated since the rollout in October.
Of the 8.8 million from this age group who have received at least one dose, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that 99 percent of them “did not report feeling any symptoms after vaccination,” while 0.03 percent experienced “mild reactions such as dizziness, pain in the injection site and headache” that passed within two to three days.
The clarification followed concerns of parents and interested groups on the immunization of minors, with some individuals filing a petition to contest the clause of the DOH policy that gives the government the authority to provide consent to a willing minor.
Cricket Chen, a doctor specializing in anthroposophic medicine, or “anthromedics,” warned about the potential impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on children’s health in the future.
But as Cabotaje said, the vaccination was not mandatory as she assured the public that the vaccines were proven safe and effective.
The approval of the Philippine FDA on the emergency use authorization of Pfizer was also another assura Under Republic Act No. 11525, or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021, a P500-million indemnity fund is allocated for the compensation of individuals who might experience adverse events following immunization.
Meanwhile, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said during a press conference on Friday that she had been receiving letters urging the Department of Education (DepEd) to stop the pediatric vaccination.
Briones said that she would refer the matter to the DOH since it was a health issue.
She noted the high level of acceptance from stakeholders, adding that the DepEd did not see a single case of COVID-19 infection during the pilot implementation of limited in-person classes. (©Philippine Daily Inquirer 2021)
