Prov’l gov’t to vaccinate 300 kids with comorbidities tomorrow

The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental will inoculate at least 300 children with comorbidities, aged 12 to 17, during the launching of vaccination for minors at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH) in Silay City tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 29.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said they have asked the local government units (LGUs) to submit their respective lists of vaccinees to the Provincial Health Office by this afternoon.

“Our target is 300 children. If there are more, we can still go up to 500. If we hit 300, we’ll be okay,” he added.
Diaz said children in this priority group will be administered with Pfizer-BioNTech shots as recommended by the Department of Health (DOH).

“We made representation with the DOH as they were preparing for the rollout for pediatrics with co-morbidities. We were encouraged to participate in the launching (October 29). We will go with their schedule. We will support the DOH vaccination program 100 percent,” he added.

Diaz said since the DOH requires only hospital venues for pediatric A3 vaccination, the province has selected the TLJPH as the site of rollout, which will start at 8 a.m.

According to the DOH, hospitals were chosen for the initial phases since they can manage possible serious adverse reactions to vaccines and facilitate easy referral of patients.

Vaccine recipients under the pediatric A3 group must be accompanied by the parent or guardian at the vaccination site.

They are required to bring a medical certificate detailing the child’s comorbidity, valid identification cards of both the child and the parent or guardian, and proof of filiation such as a birth certificate.

Pediatric A3 vaccination will focus on minors with comorbidities such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cancer, and tuberculosis, as well as those who have Down syndrome.

Meanwhile, in Bacolod City, the Covid-19 vaccination rollout for 12- to 17-year-olds with comorbidities will also be held tomorrow, starting at 8 a.m., at the Riverside College campus located behind Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital.* (Nanette Guadalquiver, PNA)