THE THREAT of the Delta variant of Covid19 prompted Senator Sherwin Gatchalian to push for the immediate vaccination of minors.

The Delta variant, first detected in India, was deemed a variant of concern by the World Health Organization because of its high transmissibility.

As of July 29, 216 Delta cases have been detected in the Philippines. Eight of the patients have died.

“By the time we get enough supply we can already vaccinate teenagers. And this is a very crucial stage in going back to face-to-face classes,” the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture said.

Gatchalian added that vaccinating learners will provide an added layer of protection.

“The kids might not get infected as fast as science says, but their parents, the shopkeepers, the sari-sari store owners, they might be susceptible to the virus spread. So that’s why the approach to school opening should be very cautious and the step forward to that is to launch pilot schools in zero Covid areas,” he said.

The Department of Education and the Department of Health are crafting the guidelines for the gradual reintroduction of face-to-face classes.

According to DepEd, at least 100 schools will participate in the pilot study of limited face-to-face classes once President Rodrigo Duterte gives his approval.

The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid19 vaccine has been allowed by Philippine Food and Drug Administration for use on adolescents aged 12 to 15.

Drug maker Sinovac also applied for authorization to use its vaccine CoronaVac on minors aged 3 to 17.