Parental Reaction to Vaccination Against COVID-19 for Children
By ARLYN JANE C. PAYAO
Teacher III
Butuan Central Elementary School
While children ages 5 to 11 across the country are eagerly awaiting their chance to be injected with vaccines for COVID, issues raised against the COVID vaccination program are slowly entering the minds of parents and groups.
According to Department of Health (DOH) data, more than 168,000 children in that age group are registered to receive doses of Pfizer vaccine, currently the only vaccine brand approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be used in children.
According to Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan, approximately 14 million basic education students aged 5 to 11 are eligible for the COVID vaccination. Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje also reiterated that vaccination is not mandatory.
Parents will give consent. The DOH will also explain to the child what will happen during the vaccination, what they will give them, the benefits of the vaccine and its side effects.
But, on the other hand, parents are skeptical and still fearful about the health and whether their children will be safe from COVID-19 vaccination. It is somehow doubtful how their children’s bodies will react after being vaccinated. ###
