ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. is ready to make adjustments should the national government include children aged 12 to 17 years old to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program.
Although the provincial government has yet to start listing the children population here, Defensor believes many are interested of getting vaccinated.
“Pero maayo gid kon may listahan ka…in terms of takers, wala na kita problema,” Defensor said.
The national government mulls inoculating minors, with National Inter-Agency Task Force chairman and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez saying it may begin by end of this month or October depending on supplies and go-signal from experts.
For the moment, Defensor said the provincial government will continue focusing on healthcare workers, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, and economic frontliners.
As of Aug. 29, a total of 195,117 individuals completed their vaccination, out of 299,858 Ilonggos who received their first doses. This was 13 percent of the province’s target population of 1,448,757.
Here is the breakdown of the fully vaccinated persons per priority group:
* healthcare workers – 32,303
* senior citizens – 38,420
* persons with comorbidities – 33,243
* uniformed personnel (A4) – 1,359
Meanwhile, out of the 21,435 total confirmed cases in this province (as of Aug. 23), 3,453 individuals were 20 years old and below, data from the Provincial Health Office showed.
Here is the breakdown of the other age groups and their cases:
* 61 years old and above – 3,305 cases
* 51 to 60 years old – 2,809
* 41 to 50 years old – 2,943
* 31 to 40 years old – 4,022
* 21 to 30 years old – 4,852
In Iloilo City, Mayor Jerry Treñas instructed the City Population Office to identify 12 to 17 year olds and secure their parents ’consent.
“Ang bakuna nga usaron ta ang i-allow sang FDA (Philippine Food and Drug Administration),” said Treñas.
The FDA has so far given an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Pfizer vaccine for those aging 12 years old and above.
Sinovac has also sought FDA’s approval on its use for children three years old and above./PN