780K Pfizer doses for ages 5 to 11 arriving on February 3 —DOH

Around 780,000 doses of the Pfizer anti-COVID vaccine minors aged 5 to 11 are scheduled to arrive in the Philippines on Thursday, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

“Itong pagdating ng mga bakuna bukas, 780,000 doses as an initial supply or delivery para sa ating bansa nitong reformulated Pfizer vaccines para sa ating kabataan 5 to 11,” Health Usec. Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing.

(The arrival of vaccines tomorrow, 780,000 doses of the reformulated Pfizer vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 as an initial supply or delivery for our country.)

Earlier, Malacañang announced that the vaccination of the 5 to 11 age group will be rolled out in the following vaccination sites in Metro Manila on Friday:

• The Philippine Heart Center
• Philippine Children’s Medical Center
• National Children’s Hospital
• Manila Zoo
• SM North Edsa (Skydome)
• Fil Oil Gym in San Juan City

Meanwhile, Vergeire said it will be rolled out at the SM Mega Mall on Saturday.

Vergeire said a total of 38 pilot vaccination sites for the vaccination of the age group will be deployed in Metro Manila on Saturday, five in Region III, and two sites in Calabarzon.

“Habang ang schedule sa iba pang mga lugar ay pinaguusapan and they will be confirming in the coming days,” she said.

She advised parents to register for vaccination through local government units or vaccination centers to avoid overcrowding.

Meanwhile, Vergeire said the Health Department has observed a slight increase in the number of cases for children 5 years and above while the number of cases among 12 to 17age group has decreased.

“Mula sa average na 35%, tumaas ito ng bahagya sa 37% nitong Enero" (from an average of 35%, this increased slightly to 37%), she said.

Despite this, she assured the public there is no need to worry.

“Patuloy po ang Kagawaran ng Kalusugan sa paggawa at pagpapatupad ng mga measures at protocols upang mapigilan pa natin ang paglaganap pa ng virus,” she said.

(The DOH continues to implement measures and protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.) —LBG, GMA News