“Now we are looking into the total population of 1.8 million. If we vaccinate the five to 11 years old, we have a great chance of achieving 100 percent of our total population,” Schlosser said.
The Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), Davao Doctors Hospital (DDH), Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF), and the Seamen's Hospital will serve as vaccination sites for the pediatric population. These hospitals earlier committed to participate in the pilot vaccination rollout of five to 11 years old age group starting next week.
The Brokenshire Hospital and the Metro Davao Medical And Research Center (MDMRC) have yet to confirm their participation, Schlosser said.
She said the city is planning to put up a separate vaccination site solely for the youngest population age group once the two-week pilot rollout in the hospitals is over.
"Why we need a separate site solely for this age group, first is for us to ensure that we don't make mistakes in administering the dosage since theirs is different from the regular dosage,” Schlosser said.
The dosage for 12 years old and above is 0.3ml while the five to 11 will be given 0.2ml.
According to Schlosser, the city’s Vaccination Cluster Team underscored the need for non-threatening, friendly, and fun vaccination sites as it is usually a challenge to convince children to get vaccinated.
Having the vaccination hub as friendly and non-threatening as possible, she said, would make the vaccinators' jobs easier.
Schlosser added that the Vaccination Cluster Team is also pushing to roll out the vaccination in designated LGU-managed vaccination hubs for the pediatric five to 11 years old age group on February 21, 2022.
The Almendras Gym, the Vicente Hizon Elementary School, and the San Roque Elementary School are the initial venues for the city government's vaccination rollout for the pediatric population.
Schlosser, however, said that it would be a challenge for the LGU to roll out the vaccination to this population age group as they are not like adults who can be educated on the importance of the vaccine.
Parents of children with comorbidities are encouraged to get a templated medical certificate in the city's operational vaccination hubs and have them filled up by their pediatricians before bringing their kids to the designated sites for inoculation.
Parents must also register their children through the SafeDavao QR or=DQR (https://profiles.safe-davao.com) as part of the requirement for the pediatric vaccination.
Photo: DOH 11