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| A kid looks at his shoulder after a health worker of Amai Pakpak Medical center administers the reformulated Pfizer vaccine that signaled the start for the vaccination of 5 -11 years age group in Lanao del Sur. (Angelo Dologmandin/PIA Lanao del Sur) |
MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur-- The government, through the Amai Pakpak Medical Center (APMC), started administering on Monday, February 14, the reformulated Covid-19 vaccine to children aged 5 to 11 years.
To make the vaccination a fun experience, the vaccination site was filled with colorful decorations and has a mascot to entertain the kids and soothe their anxiety.
The kids also received loot bags filled with toys and snacks as incentives for getting their much-needed protection against the dreaded virus.
Prior to the rollout, Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) chief Dr. Alinader Minalang and APMC chief Dr. Shalimar Sani-Rakiin allayed the worries of parents on the possible adverse effects of the vaccine noting that the benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh the possible risks.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is being used for the vaccination as this is the only shot that has received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for children aged 5 to 11 years.
Minalang who is also the vice-chairman of the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said they aim to inoculate 220,000 children aged 5 to 11 years in the province.
"Ngayon limited pa lang ang dumating sa atin [vaccines], so unahin muna natin yung sa mga hospitals and then later on doon naman tayo sa mga community (only a limited number of vaccines arrived so we will prioritize the hospitals, then later on we will go to the communities)," he said.
Accordingly, only 1,000 shots of vaccines have initially arrived in the province.
The IPHO chief also cited the importance of protecting minors against Covid-19 to the resumption of physical classes in the province.
"Overall, itong vaccination natin ito lang ang talagang kailangan natin para makabalik tayo dun sa normal na pamumuhay natin, importante din yan sa pagbabalik ng mga bata, yung mga anak natin, sa eskwelahan na face-to-face. We need to help one another para machieve natin ang target natin," Minalang said.
(Overall, this vaccination of ours is all we really need so that we can return to our normal lives, it is also important for the return of the children, our children, to face-to-face classes. We need to help one another to achieve our target.) (APB/PIA Lanao del Sur)
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