DOH: Vaccination among children to start with those with comorbidities

COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 12 to 17 will begin with those with comorbidities beginning October 15, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

"We are targeting October 15, and we will start with National Capital Region because they have a significant vaccine coverage so far [at around 70%]," Cabotaje said during the Laging Handa briefing.

"We will be prioritizing those with comorbidities like respiratory and kidney disease, among other medical complexities," she added.

Two weeks after being rolled out in Metro Manila, COVID-19 vaccination for minors will gradually transition to different regions, Cabotaje said.

The children would be included under priority group A3, the DOH said in a statement, adding an expansion beyond this group will follow once adequate coverage of senior citizens has been achieved nationwide and vaccine supply becomes sufficient.

Malacañang announced on Tuesday that President Rodrigo Duterte had approved the vaccination of the general population, including minors, against COVID-19, starting this October.

“For the initial run, we recommend that children with comorbidities will be vaccinated in selected sites with clearance from their pediatricians or trained doctors, or for far-flung or Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA), with clearance from on-site trained physicians guided by a checklist from the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP),” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

“We have to ensure that children have equitable access to vaccines. Eventually, as we get more local experience, we will be able to retool our current vaccinators on the additional precautionary steps on screening and vaccine administration,” she added.

According to the DOH, the informed consent by the parent or guardian and the child must be obtained prior to vaccination.

There should also be an available supply of Pfizer and Moderna shots as these are the only vaccines so far approved for use on individuals aged 12 to 17.

"These are two doses with an interval of 28 days, and the same amount of dose used on adults," Cabotaje said.

The Health Department also underscored the importance of an “equitable access to medical clearance by a physician for children with comorbidities.”

“The DOH emphasized the need for a careful and planned rollout of vaccines for children,” it said.

“Considering that the risks of contracting severe COVID-19 infection or dying from COVID-19 is significantly lower for healthy children, it follows that the benefits from vaccination relative to the risk of a healthy child is also lower, compared to a sick child, adult or senior citizen.”

Philippine Food and Drug Administration chief Eric Domingo earlier said that including minors aged 12 to 17 years old in the COVID-19 vaccination program would cover 12 million more individuals, a number which translates to 24 million doses.

The number of fully vaccinated Filipinos stood at 20.58 million as of September 28, representing 26.68% of the eligible population (77.1 million). The target population does not include minors.

The country's target is vaccinate 90% of 110 million Filipinos by May 9, 2022.

This target means around 11.2 million Filipinos should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on a monthly basis from October to April 2022. —KG, GMA News