KALIBO, Aklan – The Department of Health Center for Health Development (DOH CHD) has assured the Covid-19 vaccines of all types and at all age groups continue to protect against severe death and disease.
DOH-6 said vaccinating the younger age group with Covid-19 vaccines will protect them against severe disease and death, an additional safeguard for gatherings and safe reopening of schools and cocoon protection to those who cannot be vaccinated.
Dr. Renilyn Reyes, head of the Public Health Program Development Center (PHPDC), said vaccination for 5-11 years old can be availed at the mega, regular, temporary pre-identified posts and mobile vaccination sites of the LGUs starting February 14, 2022.
Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is now available for children 5 to 11 years old. It is administered as a two-dose primary series, three weeks apart, at a smaller 10 micrograms dose.
The side effects are generally mild to moderate and include headache, fatigue, pain, swelling at the vaccination site, and fever.
Across the region, there were 21,713 children, or 12 percent of total cases have been infected by Covid.
Of this figure, 9,403 cases, or 43 percent belonged to the 12-17 age group as of February 6, 2022.
More than 60 children have died of Covid-19, of which, 27 deaths were under 5 years old.
DOH-6 is seeing a downward trend in new Covid-19 cases, although, Covid infections peaked during the 3rd of January. The majority of the cases are either mild or asymptomatic.
The region has so far logged 176, 638 Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began.
DOH said 4,326,935 individuals or 77.55 percent were fully vaccinated in the region, while 431,153 or 7.73 percent already received booster shots. /PN
