Sen. Nancy Binay (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — While she agrees with the need to vaccinate children against COVID-19, Senator Nancy Binay on Monday urged the government to be “more practical and realistic” and continue focusing on vulnerable sectors for now, citing the limited supply of vaccines in the country.
“Agree ako na mabakunahan din yung mga bata, at suportado ko yung initiative na mas maraming age groups ang mabigyan ng bakuna. But at this point, Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for children. Baka kasi paasahin na naman ang marami sa wala,” Binay said in a statement.
(I agree that we need to vaccinate children and I support the initiative for more age groups to receive the vaccine. But at this point, Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for children. I fear that many will be given false hope.)
“The focus should be directed to the vulnerable sectors…Confronted with the vaccine shortage, hindi rin fair na pag-usapan na ang bakuna sa mga minor nang ‘di pa nabibigyan ng bakuna yung nasa priority age groups,” she added.
Vulnerable sectors include senior citizens, persons with comorbidities who have to work, public utility vehicle drivers, street vendors as well as frontline-backend service industries, Binay noted.
“I just hope that the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) and DOH (Department of Health) can manage people’s expectations with regard [to] the availability of vaccines. So, let’s be more practical and realistic,” she added.
Following the delivery of 326,400 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 chief and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government plans to start pediatric vaccination by the end of September or October.
The vaccination of children, according to Galvez, was already brought up with President Duterte and the government’s vaccine experts and that the NTF was negotiating to purchase an additional 26 million doses for pediatric inoculation.