By Civ Alonzo-Cruz
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in an interview on Friday (Dec.24) that the COVID-19 vaccination of kids ages 5-11 may begin as early as January 2022, as the agency earlier issued the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer vaccine due to its high efficacy rate of above 90% and with very mild adverse events in its critical trial.
FDA Director-General Eric Domingo said in a radio interview that the government is eyeing to roll out the vaccination of minors maybe by January. He also said the government will have to make a new purchase for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine that will be used on 5-11 years old.
“Ito pong Pfizer na bakuna na 5-11 [years old], ang plano po ng ating gobyerno [ay] gamitin siguro by January. So kung mago-order po sila [ngayon], siguro early next year magagamit na ito,” Domingo said.
Earlier, the FDA informed the concerned agencies and groups of the government’s need to procure a separate COVID-19 vaccine for the 5-11 years old kids as the available vaccine for the pediatric population in the country was only for 12-17 years old.
Domingo said the Pfizer vaccines to be administered to 5-11 years old will have a lower dosage and lower concentration than those given to adults and youths aged 12-17.
“We have informed the National Task Force and the Department of Health that we will have to order and procure this separately because the COVID-19 vaccine to be administered on aged 5 to 11 is different from those administered on adults. Our present vaccine doses available are only for those aged 12 and above,” he said.
Meanwhile, National Task Force Against Covid-19 Special Adviser Dr. Teodoro Herbosa said the actual doses for the age group is still being procured.
“We still have to wait for the actual dose and concentration that has to be procured. So, that will probably come by January,” Herbosa said during the arrival of 871,650 doses of the Pfizer vaccine at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on Thursday.
The country began vaccinating minors aged 12-17 years old in late October. Administration of booster shot was opened to all adults effective on Thursday and was not yet recommended by the DOH for the pediatric population.
According to DOH data, there are around 13.5 million children aged 5-11 in the country based on the estimated figures last November. -rir
