Pateros starts children vaccination on Feb. 9 

The Pateros municipal government will start the vaccination of kids aged 5 to 11 years old on Feb. 9, according to a report by Manila Bulletin.

This was announced by Mayor Miguel “Ike” Ponce III during a live broadcast on Facebook on Feb. 8.

He said the vaccination site at AMC Gym in Barangay San Roque will be used solely for the pediatric population from five to 17 years old. The municipal government is aiming to vaccinate 6,000 minors aged five to 11 in Pateros.

“The parents need to be with their children or their guardians [at the vaccination site]. No child will be vaccinated if not accompanied by a parent or guardian,” the mayor said.

He said the parent or guardian needs to bring an ID and documents showing proof of relationship with the child.

All children five to 11 years old are being scheduled for vaccination through text messages and they need to register using a QR code released by the municipal government.

“The vaccination of five to 11 was rolled out yesterday [Feb. 7] and we saw in other local governments that it was smooth and the vaccine is safe. Experts would not have recommended the vaccine to us if this is not safe for our kids,” said Ponce.

He said the vaccine will provide children protection against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

During an online media briefing on Feb. 8, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said a total of 9,784 kids aged five to 11 were vaccinated on the first day on Feb. 7.

“We saw that the turnout was great and you know what, our vaccination sites, our officials, local governments, private sector really prepared. And it worked well,” she said, referring to the party decorations that adorned different vaccination sites.

Vergeire said one measure of success of the pediatric vaccination rollout is the trust of the parents in the COVID-19 vaccine for their children.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved last December the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be used in five to 11 years old.