THE City Government of Bacolod will start the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccination program for minors with comorbidities on November 5, 2021.

In a statement Wednesday, October 20, the Emergency Operations Center-Task Force (EOC-TF) said the vaccination of minors is part of the protection of “high-risk or vulnerable groups.”

It said these minors are those who belong to the “Pediatric A3” priority group, or persons aged 12 to 17 years old and have comorbidities.

The vaccination of minors with comorbidities will be implemented after the Department of Health (DOH) has given its approval.

Under the DOH guidelines, the Pediatric A3 vaccination will focus on minors whose comorbidities include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cancer and tuberculosis, among others.

Minors who have down syndrome are also qualified to get inoculated under this category based on the guidelines.

Only Moderna or Pfizer vaccines will be administered to these minors, the DOH said.

Parents of minors under the Pediatric A3 group may register their children through this link: https://tinyurl.com/bcdceirminors.

Meanwhile, the DOH is advising minors who do not belong to the Pediatric A3 group to continue following Covid-19 health protocols like wearing face masks, social distancing, and hand hygiene.

EOC Deputy for Medical Dr. Chris Sorongon said the City Government aims to vaccinate more than 100,000 minors aged 12 to 17 years old.

"The EOC had coordinated with public and private schools for the master-listing of our minor population aged 12 to 17," Sorongon added.

Bacolod City continues its round-the-clock vaccination, allowing walk-in for all the adult population willing to get vaccinated.

As of October 16, the City Government already inoculated 213,828 out of the 422,000 target adult vaccinees, or about 50 percent of its adult population aged 18 years old and above. (With reports from Bacolod City PIO)