The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination rollout for pediatric categories here was launched on Wednesday at the Adventist Medical Center Iligan (AMCI) in Barangay Tibanga.

Ed Krishna Alivio, the city health office (CHO) education and promotion officer, said they target to inoculate 57,480 children aged 5 to 11 years old.

The children will be vaccinated for their first dose in three months as per advice by the Department of Health (DOH).

“We target to inoculate 1,300 kids daily to reach the 60 percent of the total number of children we target to be vaccinated in one month from the start of the roll-out. That is the advice we got from the DOH,” Alivio said in an interview.

There were 194 vials of Pfizer vaccine that arrived in Iligan for the first dose of qualified children.

Each vial has 10 doses but the CHO expects some waste of at least one dose per vial, Alivio said.

Vaccination challenge

Meanwhile, Department of Health-Northern Mindanao (DOH-9) Director Jose Llacuna Jr. reiterated that the Covid-19 vaccine is safe for everyone, especially for the children, because there are parents who are still hesitant to get their kids vaccinated despite the children’s willingness to be inoculated.

He said the government continues to convince the parents, through the pediatricians, “because they are experts in pediatric care.”

“We respect the parents’ opinion but we would like them to give (us) permission (to inoculate) their children,” Llacuna said.

Excited to go out

Herchil Cabataña, 11, arrived at the AMCI with her mother, Michel, an hour earlier than the scheduled time of the vaccination, to receive her first dose on Wednesday.

Herchil said she wanted to be vaccinated so that she can go to the mall, something she has not done since the pandemic began.

Michel said when the risk status was lowered last year, allowing minors to enter malls, her daughter asked them if they can stroll for some hours but she did not allow it.

Dennis Toledo, a father of two, also brought with him his sons, 10 and 11 years old, to get vaccinated at the AMCI where he works as head of the engineering department.

Toledo said he loves his family and wants them to be protected from the virus. He also wants them to be a role model to other children.

“Safety should start in the house. If you love your family, protect them from the virus,” Toledo said.

First aid

Dr. Amelita Maria Hamoy, chapter president of the Philippine Pediatric Society North Central Mindanao, advised parents not to allow their children to any active activity after the vaccination.

“We also have reactions after one or two weeks of vaccination. If they are not feeling well, parents must report it (to the doctor or health center),” Hamoy said.

She assured parents that since the start of the vaccination rollout in Manila last week, there were no reported adverse or severe reactions after inoculation.

She said they understand the interest of the children to get vaccinated so that they will be allowed to go out because it is also important for the young ones to have interactions outside their home.

“Children also want to see their classmates. Some children cannot stay long in online classes, they want to see their children, so it is important to have them vaccinated. Parents should know that,” Hamoy said.

Vigilance needed

In Camiguin, Mambajao, municipal health officer Dr. Lyndon Aclan said during the “Alerto!” radio program that while the province returned to Alert Level 2 status, vaccination is still one of the essential steps in achieving normalcy in the future.

“Let us not be too lax that our (Covid-19) cases have lowered. We should still get vaccinated, instead of just waiting for another fatal variant to spread,” he said.

Aclan said there is still a considerable number of people in Camiguin who have not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19, including senior citizens, because they have been misinformed about vaccination and its effects.

He advised them to only listen to experts and urged them to reconsider their stand on vaccination.

On Wednesday, the provincial government has also started its pilot vaccination for children at the Camiguin General Hospital.

Primary recipients are the children and dependents of hospital staff, and confined patients with comorbidities.

Aclan also said another vaccination rollout will be at the Mambajao Health Office on February 22.

Other than the Covid-19 vaccine, the municipal health office also provides jabs for human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer, and common flu to the public for free.

Double-efforts

In Lanao del Sur, the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) is keen on reaching out to the communities especially when the province only had vaccination coverage of 22 percent as of February 14.

IPHO chief Dr. Alinader Minalang said their vaccination teams have been going down to barangays following the relaunch of the Covid-19 National Vaccination Days or Bayanihan Bakunahan last week.

He said the IPHO is hoping for a high vaccination turnout despite the hesitancy in the province.

He said for the third run of the Bayanihan Bakunahan that was originally scheduled for February 10-11, they were able to vaccinate around 15,000 individuals for first, second, and booster doses.

The vaccination caravan for the third run was held in the towns of Marantao and Tamparan.

As the Bayanihan Bakunahan is extended up to February 18, the IPHO chief is encouraging all eligible individuals to get vaccinated as it is the best defense against Covid-19.

“Our vaccination (drive) is now (conducted) daily because we are still far from our target of 70 to 80 percent of our eligible population to achieve herd immunity or community protection,” Minalang said. (PNA)