National COVID-19 Vaccination Day for children pushed

“We are hoping that there will be National Vaccination Days for this age group so the parents can accompany their children in vaccination centers,” PMA President Benny Atienza said. 

He also hoped that the vaccination days would be scheduled on weekends to avoid conflict on the schedule of parents and guardians. 

According to the Department of Health (DOH), the government is eyeing to begin the vaccination of kids aged five to 11 on February 4. The age group will receive Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines which previously received emergency use approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire noted that the doses for children have a different formulation than those given to adolescents aged 12 to 17. The vaccines have lower concentration and will come in color coded bottles to avoid errors. 

Vergeire said that parents can register their kids for vaccination in their respective local government units. 

Parents must bring official documents to prove their relationship to the child such as birth certificate and baptismal certificate.