Doctor advises parents: Talk to trusted experts, don't rely on social media

Amid the nearing rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination for 5 to 11 years old, an infectious disease expert on Tuesday advised parents to talk to trusted health professionals instead of relying on social media for information.

Dr. Timmy Gimenez, Philippine Pediatric Society chairperson for vaccination, warned that there may be misinformation on social media.

“Ang pinakamaganda po ay kumausap kayo ng isang health professional that you trust… rather po na tayo ay mag rely sa social media. Kasi minsan po may misinformation,” she said at the Laging Handa briefing.

(It’s better to talk to a health professional that you trust… rather than relying on social media because there may be misinformation.)

Gimenez said most side effects include pain at the injection site, fever, and headache. She said most side effects are very minor.

“So ang mga magulang po natin, meron na pong karanasan diyan. So that’s the nice part. So ito pong sakit ng ulo, pagkahilo hindi naman po ito mga grabeng symptoms na will warrant a trip to the ER,” she said.

(So our parents already have experience with this. So that’s the nice part. So these headaches, dizziness are not severe symptoms that will warrant a trip to the ER.)

She also stressed that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risk.

“With this, hindi lang (not only) COVID but also other vaccines, you also have to remember that benefits will always outweigh the risk,” she said.

Gimenez said around 1,000 patients of the PPS have registered for vaccination.

The inoculation of the said age group will be rolled out in six vaccination sites in the National Capital Region on Friday, February 4.

The Department of Health earlier said a total of 168,355 children ages five to 11 have already registered for vaccination in their local government units.

Meanwhile, Gimenez stressed that children must also get vaccinated against other diseases such as measles.

“Ang akin pong panawagan kung ang mga anak ninyo po ay hindi pa nabibigyan ng mga bakunang ito, makipag-ugnayan sa ating mga local government centers kasi po there is a massive campaign po for catch up,” she said.—AOL, GMA News