VACCINE experts again called on parents to have their children vaccinated against Covid19 amid the growing threat of the Omicron variant.

Dr. Nina Gloriani, head of the Vaccine Expert Panel, said they are looking into inoculating kids as soon as possible to protect them from getting infected.

“Nakita po natin sa mga ibang bansa na matapos magpabakuna ang mga elderly, mga may comorbidities, at lahat pa ng mga iba, ay ang nagkaroon ng Covid19 ay iyong mga bata,” Gloriani said during the Laging Handa briefing.

“Ang virus, ang talagang pupuntahan niyan ay iyong walang proteksiyon,” she added, noting that children with comorbidities will be prioritized.

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration earlier approved the use of Pfizer’s Covid19 vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11.

However, the Department of Health clarified that inoculation for this population has not yet started. At present, the pediatric vaccination is still being provided for minors aged 12 to 17.

The Philippines aims to vaccinate about 13.5 million children below 11 years old against Covid19.