FIRST DOSE: These two minors are among the first to receive their first of two doses of COVID-19 jabs during the pediatric vaccine rollout on Oct. 29, 2021, in La Union province. (Photo courtesy of the La Union provincial government)
MANILA, Philippines — More than three million minors aged 12 to 17 have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19, President Rodrigo Duterte during his taped weekly briefing that aired late Tuesday night.
“I am very pleased… That three million is a lot,” Duterte said, speaking in a mix of Filipino and English.
According to him, 76.5 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide out of the total of 134.4 million that the Philippines had received.
“Of this number, 41.9 million are given the first dose, while more than 33.5 million are given a second dose and single-dose shots,” he said.
The government first started vaccinating minors against COVID-19 in October this year.
So far, the vaccine brands approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used for minors are Pfizer and Moderna.
FDA Director-General Eric Domingo earlier said vaccines for children below 12 years old might be available before the end of the year.
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