The Philippines has begun vaccinating minors aged 12-17 as part of its latest effort to tackle the spread of Covid-19 and get children who have been stuck at home for more than a year back to school.
The Health Department announced on Oct. 18 that more than 1,500 minors had received jabs at the weekend after health experts said the vaccine was safe to be administered to them.
Health chiefs say they initially plan to inoculate at least 1.5 million children within the next three months.
Up to 1.2 million children with underlying conditions that put them at risk from the virus will be the first to receive the vaccine to protect them from its severe effects.
“We have a total of 1,509 children that have already been vaccinated. It is a good sign that parents and children alike have faith in our vaccines,” health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told TeleRadyo.
Vergeire said only four children experienced adverse reactions, which were minor and successfully treated.
According to the United Nations, the Philippines is one of 17 countries where schools have remained shut throughout the pandemic
“We hope we encourage as many children with health risks as possible to get inoculated,” she added.
She said the Health Department was circulating a list of chronic conditions which she said would ensure children suffering from them would receive vaccination priority.
The list includes autoimmune disorders, neurologic conditions, metabolic and endocrine conditions, cardiovascular disease, obesity, tuberculosis, chronic respiratory diseases, renal disorders, diabetes and cancer.
The government hopes the vaccination drive will help enable schools to reopen safely following a shutdown that took place shortly after the outbreak began early last year.
Thank you. You are now signed up to Daily newsletter
According to the United Nations, the Philippines is one of 17 countries where schools have remained shut throughout the pandemic.
Next month the government aims to reopen 120 schools for face-to-face classes as part of a pilot project. It is hoped the vaccination program will help facilitate this effort.
The Philippines has been one of the worst-hit countries during the Covid-19 pandemic with more than 2.7 million infections and 40,000 fatalities. Of those infected, nearly 8 percent were aged 10-19.
The Philippines has so far fully vaccinated 24.3 million people, while 27.8 million had received their first dose as of Oct. 17, according to the latest government figures.
Most of those vaccinated have received the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine.
Support UCA News…
….as we enter the last months of 2021, we are asking readers like you to help us keep UCA News free.
For the last 40 years, UCA News has remained the most trusted and independent Catholic news and information service from Asia. Every week, we publish nearly 100 news reports, feature stories, commentaries, podcasts and video broadcasts that are exclusive and in-depth, and developed from a view of the world and the Church through informed Catholic eyes.
Our journalistic standards are as high as any in the quality press; our focus is particularly on a fast-growing part of the world – Asia – where, in some countries the Church is growing faster than pastoral resources can respond to – South Korea, Vietnam and India to name just three.
And UCA News has the advantage of having in its ranks local reporters who cover 23 countries in south, southeast, and east Asia. We report the stories of local people and their experiences in a way that Western news outlets simply don’t have the resources to reach. And we report on the emerging life of new Churches in old lands where being a Catholic can at times be very dangerous.
With dwindling support from funding partners in Europe and the USA, we need to call on the support of those who benefit from our work.
Click here to find out the ways you can support UCA News. You can make a difference for as little as US$5…
Credit: Source link
