The vaccination of kids and teens in the Philippines may begin by late September or October, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Sunday as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
Galvez made the announcement following the arrival of more than 300,000 Moderna doses.
“We proposed really to the NITAG [National Immunization Technical Advisory Group] and also to our experts that we have to include children as soon as possible considering that they will be also vulnerable, particularly those children with comorbidities,” Galvez said.
So far, only Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is allowed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use for minors aged 12 to 15. Previously, the vaccine was only allowed for those aged 16 and up.
Pfizer was able to secure the authorization back in May, but the Department of Health back then said that the 12 to 15 age group will not be vaccinated yet in a move to prioritize the “more vulnerable” sectors in light of limited vaccine supply.
Galvez said that as of August 8, more than 24.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in this country. Of this number, 12.9 million are for the first dose while 11.2 million are for the second dose.
