The city government has fast-tracked the rollout of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination for the pediatric population here to further expand its coverage.
Dr. John Rainier Solis, the immunization coordinator of the City Health Office (CHO), said they have raised their vaccination target from 600 to 800 per day to accommodate more eligible minors or those aged 12 to 17 years old.
He said they have allotted every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday starting this week for the mass vaccination at the gymnasium of the Christ the King Cathedral.
“We will continue with the vaccination until we capture all the target minors,” he told PNA on Tuesday.
The vaccination for the pediatric group here started last Oct. 28 at the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital (SCPH), which is among the pilot sites earlier approved by the Department of Health (DOH)-Region 12 for those with comorbidities.
On Monday, CHO opened the vaccination site at the Christ the King Cathedral gymnasium for minors without comorbidities.
Glenn Mar Doctolero, CHO health education and promotion officer, said in an advisory the SCPH vaccination site will only accommodate those with certified comorbidities while the Christ the King Cathedral gymnasium is for those without comorbidities.
He said they will continue to increase the vaccination coverage depending on the availability of the vaccine doses.
The vaccination teams have been administering Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provided by the national government, through the DOH-12.
A report from the Integrated Provincial Health Office of South Cotabato showed that a total of 20,937 minors have been targeted for Covid-19 vaccination in Koronadal City.
In South Cotabato, the rural health units have listed some 88,385 minors aged 12 to 17 years old as eligible for vaccination.
Source: Philippines News Agency