Editorial: Limiting children's movement
FOLLOWING the easing of Covid-19 restrictions more children are going out.
It can be observed that there are more kids now in different establishments. Some are infants while others are kids who are still young to be in elementary school.
However, the sight of seeing a lot of children outside their homes amid a pandemic can be alarming. It is important to note that not all children or those below 18 years old are vaccinated against the Covid-19.
At present, pediatric vaccination covers those ages 12 to 17 years old.
As of November 19, data from the Davao City Vaccination Cluster showed that a total of 2,456 first doses have already been administered to 12 to 17 years old with comorbidities under Priority A3 group. A total of 70 second doses have also been administered to this age group.
For the rest of the pediatric population, 37,049 are already vaccinated for the first dose. No second doses have been administered yet.
The remaining population of those who are below 18 years old remain vulnerable to the Covid-19.
We are also seeing online posts claiming that hospitals are noting an increase in Covid-19 admissions of minors. However, the Southern Philippines Medical Center and the Department of Health have yet to confirm this.
But we should also note that the easing of restrictions for minors was only implemented a week ago. Hence, the effects of the policies cannot yet be fully assessed for now. Health experts have mentioned several times that effects due to policies can be observed around two to three weeks after the policy was implemented.
In a bid to prevent a sudden spike in pediatric Covid-19 cases, the city government is looking into bringing back movement restrictions for kids below 12 years old.
Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio said on November 23, 2021 that they are currently discussing this within the Covid-19 Task Force. She said the restrictions may only cover those below 12 years old because those who are 12 years old and above are already being inoculated with the vaccine.
Several netizens have also expressed support for the proposed policy. Some even said that this should be implemented as soon as possible.
Whether there is a policy or not, the safety of the children still rests in the hands of their parents. At the end of the day, it will be the actions of the adults that will either protect the child from Covid-19 or will be the cause of the child getting the disease.
Therefore, it is important for parents to avoid bringing their children to places where the risk of getting Covid-19 is high.
“A gentle reminder to our parents to take extra precaution. Although there are no more movement restrictions for minors aged 11 below, they are still vulnerable to infection because they don’t have an extra layer of protection,” Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser.