Bacolod City, Negros Occidental  start COVID-19 vaccination for minors

Hundreds of minors from Bacolod City and Negros Occidental received their first COVID-19 shots in two different hospitals on Friday, October 29.

Bacolod Emergency Operations Head Em Ang said  the Vax Team headed by Dr. Chris Sorongon supervised the rollout at the Riverside Medical Center for 100 youth from ages 12 to 17. 

Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said 300 children were also scheduled to receive their Pfizer shots at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City by day’s end.

Bacolod has scheduled two other days for the initial rollout of the program. Other minors with no comorbidity will also be inoculated on November 3  and November 4 at SMX and Ayala Malls in the city, Ang said.

She added that so far, 5,776 minors have registered online. Priority will be given to 763 children with co-morbidities.

While the national government has approved the use of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for minors, Ang said the city will use Pfizer as it has very few supplies left of the Moderna vaccine.

The province, meanwhile, will also open vaccine centers for minors at the Lorenzo D. Zayco District Hospital in Kabankalan City and the Cadiz District Hospital in Cadiz City, Diaz said.

The DOH has directed hospitals to be used as vaccine centers for minors with co-morbidities to ensure monitoring of recipients. 

Diaz said the province has ordered all local government units to ramp up the registration of children for the vaccine drive. – Rappler.com