AN official of the Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday revealed that government is considering the launching the immunization of children below 12 years by next year.
“We have considered that in our plans for next year,” Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said at an online forum after she was asked to comment on the news reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the use of Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.
Cabotaje, who is also the head of the National Vaccination Operations Center, however, said, a recommendation from the Health Technology Assessment Council is needed to determine the type of vaccine that will be administered.
In the same forum, Cabotaje also said that they are ready to give booster shots for health-care workers once the recommendation of the World Health Organization and the authorization of the FDA had been released.
As of November 2, a total of 60 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered.
The nationwide rollout of Covid-19 vaccination among all children aged 12 to 17, began on Wednesday (November 3).
“Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will still be used among children during the nationwide rollout,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there are around 12.7 million children aged 12 to 17 in 2021.