Some 160,000 children aged 5 to 11 years have so far been registered for the pilot COVID-19 vaccination in Metro Manila that will start today (Monday, Feb. 7, 2022).
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año also clarified on Sunday that the consent of parents or guardians is needed for the pediatric vaccination amid a pending case before a Quezon City court over a provision that will allow the government to act as parens patriae for kids whose parent or guardian refuses the inoculation.
Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. also assured the public the 780,000 doses of reformulated Pfizer vaccines are safe for children.
“We are happy to announce that our vaccination rollout will continue for children ages 5 to 11 on Monday. I want to assure our parents that this vaccine is safe and thoroughly studied by the best scientists in the world,” he said in Filipino.
The vaccination of children will bring a greater sense of normalcy to the lives of Filipinos as it will provide an increased level of protection against COVID-19, Galvez said.
“We know it’s very emotional to us, we say it has struck the heart because we see the family coming out,” said Galvez.
“Second, our young people will not be restricted and they can play and have face-to-face learning. We need this to protect the social development of our next generation,” Galvez said.
As of now, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for use by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration for 5 to 11 year-olds.
The formulation for the said age group is lower compared to those administered to the older groups.
Galvez said the government purchased 30 million doses of the reformulated Pfizer vaccines, of which 7.5 million will arrive in the first quarter and another 7.5 million in the second quarter.
“They are very eager to participate in this vaccination program because we all know that we are not safe until everyone is safe, and we saw that the people are suffering also,” Galvez said.
Among the initial vaccination sites identified in Metro Manila are the Philippine Heart Center, National Children’s Hospital, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, FilOil Gym in San Juan City, Manila Zoo, and SM North Edsa.
Año, for his part, made this comment after Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian, Malabon City Mayor Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta III, and Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco issued the condition separately.
In justifying their decision, the four mayors said they have a responsibility to their constituents whom they must guide and protect.
The head of the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) said no rights were being violated in the government’s push to vaccinate children aged 5 to 11 against COVID-19.
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, the NVOC head, said vaccination of the age group is not compulsory.
Parental consent must be given before a child can be vaccinated, she said.
The Philippines is set to start inoculating children aged 5 to 11 against COVID-19 today, Monday, despite a court petition from two parents to stop the immunization drive for the age group.
The vaccination will begin in Metro Manila before the nationwide rollout on Feb. 14.
Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida Acosta, whose office is representing two parents who petitioned against the pediatric vaccination at a Quezon City court, cited a provision that may allow the government, through representatives from the Social Welfare Department, to give consent for vaccination of a minor in case the latter wants to get vaccinated but the parent or guardian refuses.
That makes the vaccination for the age group “indirectly” mandatory, she said.
Domingo Cayosa, former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), said the Department of Health (DOH) should clarify the policy on consent.
“The provision did not say ‘the DSWD shall’, but ‘may’… We call on the DOH to clarify that provision,” he said.
Cabotaje reiterated that COVID-19 vaccines are generally safe, noting that the Philippines is not the first country to immunize children against the respiratory illness.
Over 60 percent of Filipino children aged 12 to 17 years have been fully inoculated against COVID-19 since the rollout of the vaccination drive for the age group in November 2021, Cabotaje said on Sunday.
“Our coverage for the rest of the pediatric population is doing well,” said Cabotaje, in an interview on radio dzBB.
“Seventy-seven percent received the first dose and 65.6 percent for the second dose,” she said.
But for children with comorbidities, only 23 percent or 299,000 out of 1.2 million children are fully vaccinated against the severe respiratory disease, she said.
“Parents of these children are still hesitant,” she said.