THE CITY COVID-19 Task Force, through the Vaccination Cluster Team, aims to pilot the vaccination rollout for kids from five to eleven years old on Monday, Feb. 7. However, officials are still trying to determine how to administer the jabs.
Dr. Michelle Schlosser, COVID-19 Task Force spokesperson, said during the COVID-19 Alert program of 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio that the Vaccination Cluster Team met with different hospitals on Feb. 2 as the first rollout will be conducted in hospitals.
“Once naay mga glitches didto, we can be able to manage it right away. Kung OK na ang tanan, atoa nang i-cascade sa atoang typical vaccination hubs (Once there are glitches, we can manage it right away. Once everything is OK, we will then cascade it to our typical vaccination hubs),” she said.
The Vaccination Cluster Team, according to her, is yet to finalize how to go about with the rollout, if it will be done in one vaccination hub or place special lanes for the 5-11 years old age group in the city’s current operational vaccination sites.
“Isa na sya na ginatan-aw sa atong Vaccination Cluster head to really have a separate lane for this age group. We don’t want to have a mixture of this age group, matagaan og laing dosage ang mga bata (That’s what our Vaccination Cluster head is considering to really have a separate lane for this age group. We don’t want to have a mixture of this age group and they will be given a different dosage),” she said.
They are just waiting for the Pfizer vaccine, considering that the dosage for them is 0.2ml, lower than the standard dosage of 0.3ml for other population age groups. A different type of syringe, which is safer for the youngest age group population, will also be used.
Dr. Schlosser said Pfizer has been proven as a safer vaccine for children.
They also plan to create a good environment for children as they may feel threatened or intimidated. “Mag-create og gwapong environment for the kids nga dili threatening kay kung medyo hadlok, dakong chances nga daghan mo-back out (We will create a good environment for children that will not threaten them otherwise they will back out),” she said, adding that the Vaccination Cluster Team will be working with Davao City’s public and private pediatricians for the protocols.
Meanwhile, parents of children with comorbidities may get a prepared medical certificate at the city’s vaccination hubs and have them filled up by their pediatricians.
