SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian urged local government units to prepare for the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 which he said is crucial in the safe reopening of schools.

Gatchalian issued the call after the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid19 vaccine for the inoculation of children.

In November, the Department of Health said that it plans to vaccinate 13.5 million children in this age group.

The government has started inoculating minors aged 12 to 17 using Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.

In a Senate panel hearing on the expansion of face-to-face classes held on December 17, the Department of Health reported that 7.1 million minors aged 12 to 17 have received at least one dose of the Covid19 vaccine, with 2.7 million fully vaccinated. There are 12.7 million minors in the 12 to 17 age group.

“Ngayong aprubado na ang pagbabakuna kontra Covid19 para sa mga batang may edad na 5 hanggang 11, ang susunod na hakbang ay ang paghahanda ng ating mga lokal na pamahalaan para sa pagbabakuna,” Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said.

“Napapanahon ang pagbabakuna natin sa ating mga kabataan lalo na’t inaasahan ang muling pagbubukas ng mga paaralan para sa face-to-face classes. Kung marami sa mga kabataan ang mababakunahan, mas tataas ang kumpiyansa ng mga mag-aaral at kanilang mga magulang,” he added.

Considering the damage inflicted by typhoon Odette in several parts of the country, Gatchalian also urged the National Task Force Against Covid19 to help Odette-hit LGUs in the rollout of Covid19 vaccines for 5- to 11-year-old children.

The lawmaker emphasized the urgency of vaccinating children in typhoon-hit areas because they have to deal with the combined threats of both Covid19 and the aftermath of the typhoon.