Pilot hospitals for vaccination of minors identified

Philippine health officials have identified six hospitals that will host the pilot vaccination of children ages 12 to 17 against COVID-19.

According to Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, among the confirmed hospitals are the National Children’s Hospital, the Philippine Heart Center, and the Philippine General Hospital.

The vaccination for minors will initially be available in hospitals, and will prioritize those with comorbidities. The Philippine Heart Center targets to inoculate children aged 15 to 17 with heart disease first.

“‘Pag okay na tayo in the next two or three weeks, pwede na natin i-expand sa mga regular site,” she said in Dano Tingcungco's report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

“Binabantayan sa mga bata ay allergy, kasi nga ‘yung mRNA vaccine, isang tinitignan diyan ay ‘yung ating tinatawag na myocarditis, pericarditis, may mga infection sa puso o kaya ‘yung aberya sa heart. Titignan kung paano matutugunan,” she elaborated.

[Once we are ready in the next two or three weeks, we can expand to regular sites… We are monitoring children with allergies because of the mRNA vaccine, we are looking at myocarditis, pericarditis, and heart infections of heart diseases.]

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine an emergency use authorization (EUA) to cover individuals aged 12 and above in June, while Moderna applied for an EUA in August.

Minors inoculated with vaccines will undergo a year of monitoring for possible side effects.

The Philippines on Sunday reported 13,273 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the country’s active cases up to 112,008. The total caseload stands at 2,593,399 which includes 2,442,623 recoveries, and 38,768 deaths. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News