7,416 kids get COVID-19 vaccination on first day of gov’t drive

A kid gets his first COVID-19 vaccination on the first day of the government drive for children aged 5 to 11 at the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. (Photo from the Facebook account of the Department of Health)

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 7,416 children got their first COVID-19 vaccination on Monday, the first day of the government drive for those aged 5 to 11.

This number has been recorded as of 4:00 p.m, Monday, according to a joint statement issued by the Department of Health (DOH), the National Vaccination Operations Center (NCOV), and the National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF).

Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the nation’s vaccine manager, regarded the first day as a success.

“We were expecting only a few thousand, but we learned that it was 7,416. If it is raised to 10,000, we will be successful,” he said, speaking in a mix of English and Filipino, during a taped briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte that aired on Monday.

The agencies in the statement then encouraged parents and local government units to ramp up the pre-registration of their children for COVID-19 vaccination.

The DOH pointed out that the Philippines was following in the footsteps of several countries, such as the United States and Singapore, that offer COVID-19 vaccination of children aged 5 to 11.

“Over 8.7 million children have already been vaccinated worldwide, with zero deaths attributable to vaccines, 0.00013% serious adverse events, 2.4% with mild side effects all of whom have recovered, and 97.6% without any side effects,” the DOH said in the joint statement.

The DOH reminded the public, however, vaccination was not mandatory and that parental consent would be needed.

“We must continue to work in achieving population protection by vaccinating and practicing the minimum public health standards as these measures will help in achieving maximum protection against the virus,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

“With these, we can move forward towards a safer community — for ourselves and for the children of the future,” he added.