Former Defense Secretary and senatorial candidate Gilbert ‘Gibo’ Teodoro said the government should intensify its efforts in fighting disinformation on pediatric vaccination against COVID-19 as many areas across the country are now placed under Alert Level 2, which allows minors to go outside their residences.
Gibo Teodoro made the statement as vaccine hesitancy for minors, especially for ages 5 to 11 years, remains high due to the lack of knowledge among parents on COVID-19 vaccines. According to the National Task Force Against COVID-19 only 91,000 children aged 5 to 11 received their first doses and over 9 million aged 12 to 17 have completed their jabs.
“We do not want our children to crowd hospital facilities due to COVID-19 just because their parents have believed ‘fake news’ about the side effects of the vaccine to children. The fight against disinformation should start in the barangay level,” the former Tarlac congressman said.
Gibo Teodoro added that vaccination drive for minors should also be brought closer to home as some parents may be hesitant to ride public transportation with their children or it is inconvenient for them to bring all their children to the vaccination sites.
The senatorial aspirant said COVID-19 vaccination program for minors could be rolled out like how barangay health units implement immunization programs against major diseases among infants by offering pentavalent vaccines in barangay or doing house-to-house vaccination. (www.gibo.ph)
