Cebu rolls out COVID-19 jabs for minors

MANILA, Philippines — Around 100 minors with comorbidities aged 12 to 17 in Cebu City will be vaccinated against COVID-19 at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center  (VSMMC) today.

VSMMC is among the 40 hospitals outside Metro Manila that will launch pediatric vaccination today.

Visayas Vaccination Operations Center spokesperson Mary Jean Loreche said the minors have been identified by the hospitals, which have records about their medical condition.

As of yesterday, 7,600 minors without comorbidities and 900 with comorbidities in the city have registered through pabakunata.com.

City health officer-in-charge Jeffrey Ibones clarified that the vaccination would be conducted near the premises of VSMMC, adding that an ambulance would be on standby.

The launch of the pediatric vaccination is set on Nov. 3 and its nationwide implementation on Nov. 5.

Data from the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) showed that there are 929,826 minors aged 12 to 17 in Central Visayas.

The region has the fourth largest population of minors in the country.

The NVOC said there is enough supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which were given emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. – Ruth Malinao/The Freeman