Children aged 5 to 11 can get their COVID-19 vaccines starting Feb. 4, the country's immunization czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Monday as the Philippines ramps up inoculations to slow the spread of the virus.
Inoculation of children will start in Metro Manila with an initial of two vaccination sites per city and will later expand to other regions, Galvez said.
"We will open our vaccination rollout sa Feb. 4," Galvez told President Rodrigo Duterte in a late-night meeting.
"Makaka-assure po tayo, Mr. President, sa ating mga magulang na very safe ang ating gagamitin na bakuna dahil ito ay mas mababa ang formulation na angkop para sa mga bata," he added.
The government is eyeing to inoculate some 13.5 million children aged 5 to 11 with the reformulated Pfizer vaccine.
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The Philippines is ramping up vaccinations to slow the spread of the hyper-contagious omicron coronavirus variant that is driving a surge in infections.
