Vaccines Save Lives

 “The lives of millions of children have been saved, millions have the chance of a longer healthier life, a greater chance to learn, to play, to read and write, to move around freely without suffering”. -Nelson Mandela

Vaccines are our best hope to end the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 vaccines provide a high degree of protection against getting seriously ill and dying from the disease. On February 7, the National Government commenced its pilot implementation of COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 5 to 11 years old through the “Resbakuna Kids” campaign.

The government said that the rollout of “Resbakuna Kids” will be implemented in a phased approach, utilizing both hospital-based and local government unit (LGU)-based vaccination sites, to maximize accessibility to the general public. The DOH reminds the Filipino people that vaccination is not mandatory and consent is a must. All COVID-19 vaccinations distributed by the government are guaranteed to be safe, efficacious, and of high quality, as evidenced by scientific studies and data. The DOH advises that having children vaccinated against COVID-19 is still the best way to protect them from hospitalization due to severe and critical symptoms.

There are numerous reasons why toddlers and teenagers should be vaccinated in order to avoid Covid-19 symptoms. It also reduces the risk of severe disease, helps you get back to school, and helps you to reconnect with your family and friends. Vaccination protects you, as well as your family, friends, classmates, teammates, and coworkers. Being vaccinated can help your body makes copies of the spike protein. And your immune system will learn to recognize and fight against the virus.

COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe for Children and Adolescents because scientists completed clinical studies with thousands of children and found no severe safety issues. Even if the vaccination is safe, it will not prevent people from experiencing side effects. Children and teenagers may have certain adverse effects, which are natural indicators that their bodies are building antibodies. They may experience discomfort, redness, headache, muscular soreness, nausea, and fever. Those effects aren’t that serious because vaccines on children and teens are safe and effective. Immunization has been a great public health success story.

 

References:

DOH. Retrieved March 30, 2022. ttps://doh.gov.ph/press-release/DOH-NVOC-NTF-LAUNCH-RESBAKUNA-KIDS-CAMPAIGN-FOR-5-TO-11-YEAR-OLDS

Sanofi. Vaccination saves lives at every stage of life. Retrieved March 30, 2022. https://www.sanofi.com/en/your-health/vaccines/vaccination-saves-lives-at-every-stage-of-life

CDC. COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens. Retrieved March 30, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/children-teens.html

WHO. COVID-19 advice for the public: Getting vaccinated. Retrieved March 30, 2022. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines/advice

COVID-19 vaccine information for children, teens and parents/guardians. Retrieved March 30, 2022. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/covid-19-vaccine-information-for-children-teens-and-parentsguardians

329K kids aged 5-11 vaccinated: DOH. Retrieved March 30, 2022. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168097

Philippine News Agency. Vaccination for 5-11 age group yet to start: DOH | Philippine News Agency. Retrieved March 30, 2022. https://files01.pna.gov.ph/ograph/2021/12/06/1310120.jpg

ABS-CBN News. Philippines begins COVID vaccination of kids age 5 to 11 | ABS-CBN News. Retrieved March 30, 2022. https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/02/07/20220207-covid19-vaccination-children-md3.jpg

Philippine Star. Philippines targets COVID-19 vaccination of 13.5M kids aged 5 to 11 | Philstar.com. Retrieved March 30, 2022. https://media.philstar.com/photos/2021/11/25/teenage-covid-vax_2021-11-25_16-06-46.jpg