Two parents on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, asked a court in Quezon City (QC) to stop the inoculation against Coronavirus disease (Covid) of children aged 5 to 11 years old.
The petitioners asked the court to declare the vaccine rollout for 5 to 11-year-old unconstitutional.
The country is set to begin the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 using Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid vaccine, tomorrow, Feb. 7, 2022, starting in 6 sites in Metro Manila then other areas in the country will follow suit.
Dominic Almelor, a father of a 7-year-old, and Girlie Samonte, mother of two children aged 7 and 9, said as parents, they want to have the final say whether or not their children should get vaccinated against Covid.
They cited the supposed adverse effects of the vaccine.
The parents raised an objection to a provision in the DOH circular about the inoculation of 5 to 11-year-olds, where it states, the government, through representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), may give consent for the vaccination of a minor.
The DSWD may issue the consent to have the minor child inoculated in case the latter wants to get vaccinated but the parent/guardian refuses.
DOH REPLIES
The DOH and the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) said in a statement, that they are aware of the petition filed before a Quezon City court asking for a Temporary Restraining Order against the government’s plan to vaccinate children aged 5 to 11 years old.
The petitioners also want to declare the inoculation plan as unconstitutional, the DOH and the NTF said in the same statement.
“We recognize their right to file a case, and we will wait for the legal process to take its course,” the DOH and NTF said.
“However, as far as the national government is concerned, we remain steadfast in our commitment to protect all sectors of society, which include children and other vulnerable groups. As such, we will proceed with the vaccination rollout for the said age group as planned,” the DOH and NTF in their joint statement said.
“The policy on vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 is the result of careful study by health experts and has been approved in many countries, including the United States of America, which has one of the most stringent regulatory bodies in the world. And as we always emphasize, all [Food and Drug Administration] FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective. Over 8.1 million children have already been vaccinated worldwide, with no reports of deaths and serious adverse events among those vaccinated,” the statement added.
“Moreover, it is worth noting that there have been no adverse events recorded among the over 9 million individuals from the 12 to 17 age group who have been vaccinated with at least one dose, since their vaccination rollout began in October of last year. In the Philippines, we have already recorded over 100,000 pre-registrations for the vaccination rollout for children aged 5 to 11. This number signifies the willingness and confidence of parents to have their children vaccinated against the deadly virus. We would also like to point out that parental consent forms are required for all minors who will be vaccinated, and that extra measures have been taken to ensure their safety,” the statement reveals.
“Lastly, we enjoin all parents and guardians to make the right and informed
decision for their children’s health and well-being. The vaccines that will be
used for the children are reformulated, which contain a lower dosage
compared to those given to the older age groups. Vaccinating them is
crucial to achieve our goal of protecting all members of the Filipino family — children, adults, and senior citizens. This will enable us to continue the safe reopening of schools and other public spaces, as well as ensure the full economic recovery of our nation,” DOH and NTF concluded.
