Iloilo City government is considering to list those below 18 years old for vaccines administration by October following the recommendation of the National Task Force Against COVID-19.

Mayor Jerry Treñas has already instructed the City Population Office to start identifying 12 to 17 years old with their school ID and parent’s consent in the barangays.

This, after vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said they target adolescent vaccination could start by end September or October depending on supplies and go signal from experts.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has so far given an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Pfizer vaccine for those aging 12 years old and above.

Sinovac has also asked FDA for approval on its use for children three years old and above.

Galvez said they received reports that there were children with complicated cases of coronavirus admitted at the pediatric COVID-19 ward of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

“We have reported this to the President (Rodrigo Duterte) during our talk to the people and we have stated that during the Delta attack in India, more than 9,000 in a village were children. We proposed to the NITAG (interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group) we have to include children as soon as possible considering they will also be vulnerable, particularly children with comorbidities. We have seen in PGH the three critical there, dalawa doon may comorbidities. Very vulnerable and bata kasi nakikita natin hindi pa ganun kalakas kanilang resistensya in terms of pulmonary diseases,” he added./WDJ