PNP to assist in vaccination of 5 to 11-year-olds

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Sunday that they would assist the Department of Health (DOH) in the COVID-19 vaccination of the 5 to 11 age group, with vaccinations set to begin by January 2022.

In a statement, PNP Chief Police General Dionardo Carlos said trained vaccinators from the PNP Medical Reserve Force who served in earlier vaccination drives would still be available for this round of pediatric vaccination.

The PNP noted that they will also assist in the delivery and transport of the vaccines to designated venues and augment more venues if needed to cater to more children who will receive the jabs.

“This will be crucial since we are dealing with the younger segment of the population but the PNP has already a template in place,” Carlos said.

The Chief PNP thus asked the parents or guardians who will accompany the children to be watchful and be an example in following the minimum public health standards.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Dr. Eric Domingo announced on Thursday that the Philippine FDA had approved the emergency use authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 to 11 years old.

The National Vaccination Operations Center earlier said the government is still looking into how many doses will be procured for the age group.

The government started its pediatric inoculation program on October 15 among those with comorbidities. It was opened for all minors aged 12 to 17 on November 3.

There are 12.7 million children aged 12 to 17 in the country, with 1.2 million of them having comorbidities. The government is targeting to vaccinate 80% or around 10 million of them by December 2021.

According to DOH’s national COVID-19 vaccination dashboard, 56,856,615 individuals have received their first dose while 47,117,267 have received their second dose as of Saturday.

Meanwhile, 1,369,432 booster doses were administered to those who have completed the six-month requirement. — DVM, GMA News