THE Zamboanga City Health Office has urged parents to allow their fully vaccinated children to get a vaccine booster for added protection against coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, city health officer, made the call as the local government started Tuesday, July 5, the booster vaccination rollout for children aged 12 to 17 with comorbidities, as part of the priority A3 group and the rest of the pediatric population (Ropp).

The booster vaccination rollout for 12 to 17 years old children is pursuant to the guidelines of the Department of Health.

Miravite said Wednesday, July 6, that the booster shots from Pfizer-BioNTech are given to children aged 12 to 17 for free, and are safe and effective.

She said only those who are fully vaccinated are eligible for the booster jabs—at least 28 days for the immunocompromised and five months for healthy kids under the 12 to 17 age group.

“The additional dose is part of the extended primary series for those with weak immune responses,” Miravite said.

“It is given to immunocompromised to strengthen their immune response for an effective protection against Covid-19,” she added. (SunStar Zamboanga)