DOT encourages vaccination of kids for safe travel

MANILA, Philippines — Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat encouraged parents who prefer traveling with the whole family to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19, saying this will make trips safer and “more fun.”

"To parents who are still hesitant and have concerns, you can be assured by the fact that over 8 million children around the world have already been safely vaccinated. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children is being monitored very closely and has been proven to be safe and over 90% effective in preventing COVID-19," Puyat said during the ceremonial vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 at a mall in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday.

"Getting your children vaccinated will give you peace of mind knowing that they have an added layer of protection against the virus as your travel around the country," she added.

The tourism chief added that the vaccination of kids will boost the recovery of the tourism industry, which is among the hardest hit sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said that this is also timely as the country approaches the summer season.

 “It has been embedded in our culture that Filipinos are family-focused travelers. Now that the summer season is fast-approaching, such an initiative is very timely as we push for the full recovery of the tourism sector that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic,” Puyat said.

On Monday, the national government started rolling out COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 5 to 11 years old in the National Capital Region.

The vaccines were also rolled out in Central Luzon and Calabarzon on Tuesday and nationwide on February 14.

Minors under this age group will receive a reformulated dose of Pfizer COVID-19 jab which has a lower concentration and lower dosage compared to those given to the older population.

In January, the Food and Drug Administration granted Pfizer an emergency use authorization for the pediatric vaccination.