(Updated February 3, 2022)
The Philippine government is officially rolling out its COVID-19 vaccination program for children ages 5 to 11 beginning February 7. With more and more COVID-19 cases reported among children, it’s all the more important to take steps to reduce their risk of contracting the virus. While no vaccine offers 100% protection against COVID-19, it adds one more layer of protection for a person and the people he or she interacts with. Hence, a lot of mamas are wondering whether children should already be given a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Here’s what we know so far about the said vaccine for children.
What are the approved COVID-19 vaccines for use in children in the Philippines?
Pfizer-BioNtech for 12 to 15-year-olds: In a report in June 2021, the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the emergency use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines for minors aged 12 to 15. At the time, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that this age group would not be vaccinated yet as they are still prioritizing the more vulnerable sectors. The DOH official also mentioned that according to vaccine experts, the vaccination strategy for children and adolescents will be revisited once vaccine supply in the county has stabilized.
Moderna for 12 to 17-year-olds: On September 3, FDA Director-General Eric Domingo announced that FDA gave the Moderna vaccine an emergency use authorization for adolescents aged 12 to 17, citing that its benefits outweigh the risks especially now that the Delta variant is also affecting children.
Pfizer-BioNtech for 5 to 11-year-olds: Before 2021 ended, the FDA has issued emergency use approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be used among 5 to 11 year-olds, with Domingo saying in a report that "Its efficacy rate is high, above 90% for kids 5 to 11 years. At the same time, the adverse effects in the clinical trials were only very mild. A bit of a fever, some pain in the area of injection, but no unusual important safety signals were detected."
What's the progress in terms of pediatric vaccinations in the country?
Aged 12 to 17: In November 2021, the Philippines officially began its rollout of COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 12 to 17. In a report, pediatric infectious diseases expert Dr. Anna Ong-Lim said that inoculating this age group will allow them more mobility after being forced to stay home since the closure of schools in March 2020. Philippine Statistics Authority records show there are around 12.7 million children aged 12 to 17 in 2021. Latest data from National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF) shows that 7,246,430 children aged 12 to 17 years are now fully protected against COVID-19. Administering of booster doses for this age group is reported to commence in March, three months after for those who were vaccinated in November (1st dose) and December (2nd dose).
Aged 5 to 11: In latest developments as of January 25, NTF medical adviser Ted Herbosa announced that vaccination for children aged 5 to 11 will begin on February 4 in Metro Manila. In the government's aim to inoculate seven million children in this age group, they are expecting to receive 780,000 doses of Pfizer's pediatric formulation on January 31 and 1.8 million more doses in the following days. NTF chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said that pediatric vaccination for this age bracket will be rolled out in two phases: pilot run in one hospital-based and one local government unit (LGU)-based vaccination site per city within NCR (first phase) and expansion of the run after a week to the rest of Metro Manila's inoculation sites and other regions (second phase).
Update as of February 3: Vaccination in this age group was moved to February 7 because the vaccines have not yet arrived in the country.
What do these COVID-19 vaccines protect us from?
Vaccines are designed to teach our bodies to recognize a virus. COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 disease, especially from severe illness and death. They can also reduce the risk of spreading the virus. It will take about two weeks after vaccination for your body to build immunity against the COVID-19 virus; hence, you are only fully protected two weeks after your second dose.
What are some tips before, during, and after vaccination?
Check out these tips that Dr. Cristal Laquindanum-Tan posted on her Instagram account. Dr. Laquindanum-Tan is a Board-certified pediatrician, child advocate, health educator, and health informatics.
This article does not provide medical advice, it is intended for informational purposes only. The article is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.
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