THE PILOT vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 against Covid19 kicked off in Metro Manila and other areas on Monday, February 7.

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. assured parents that the reformulated Covid19 jabs for kids below 11 years old are safe and effective.

“I believe and we are very confident that the national vaccination program of the government is very strong and really protecting the family and the children and we follow the process,” Galvez said.

“We are confident, and I believe millions of parents are asking for this vaccination. It is very important that we vaccinate children so that they can play around, go around, they can go to schools, and our economy can absorb the good things we have gained because of the vaccines,” he added.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III lauded the parents who brought their children to be inoculated.

Duque said protecting children is the key to conducting face-to-face classes.

“Dahil dito sa wakas ay mabubuksan na natin ang mas malaking bahagi ng basic education sector, magkakaroon tayo ng face-to face comeback of classes na dalawang taon halos ay hindi natin nagawa, nasuspinde ‘yung ating mga face-to-face classes, so ngayon magiging ligtas na,” he stressed.

The National Vaccination Operations Center said that the national rollout for children’s vaccination will be on February 14.

Rosario bared that about 500,000 children had been registered for the vaccination rollout, mostly from urban areas.