The city government here will start the pediatric vaccination for children aged five to 11 years old on February 21.

Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. said Thursday the city’s logistics, manpower, and resources are now in place at the City College of Angeles mega vaccination site.

The pediatric vaccination will be scheduled per barangay, he said in a social media post.

Reina Manuel, the head of the vaccination committee on ways and means, said part of the preparation for the kids’ vaccination is decorating the venue with a circus motif to give the children a pleasant experience.

Upon vaccination, Manuel said each kid will receive a loot bag that contains vitamins, paracetamol, candies, coloring pens, and coloring pads.

“It’s like giving them treats and rewards after being vaccinated. The preparation we did is also to encourage them that vaccines are safe,” she said.

Irish Calaguas, chief implementer of the city’s vaccination program, said the City Health Office, led by Dr. Verona Guevarra, has coordinated with volunteer pediatricians who will be deployed at the vaccination site.

Guevarra said the city government will abide by the guidelines set by the Department of Health, citing Pfizer as the allotted vaccines for the children.

The supply of vaccines, she said, will be coming from the National Covid-19 Vaccination Operations Center.

“Sa mga magulang po, pabakuna po natin ang ating mga anak. Napakalaking tulong po ng bakuna bilang proteksyon laban sa virus, lalo na po ngayong panahon ng pandemya (To the parents, let our children be vaccinated. It is a big help for the protection against the virus, especially in this time of pandemic),” Guevarra added.

Meanwhile, the adult inoculation for first, second, and booster shots is still ongoing via the “Ronda Bakuna”, a house-to-house vaccination program of the city government.

As of February 16, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the city is 14,517 ,with 80 active infections. The total number of recoveries is 13,903 while the number of mortalities remains at 534.

A total of 356,430 city residents have received their first dose of vaccine, 331,882 are fully vaccinated, and 52,325 got their booster shots. (PNA)