Younger kids may get jabs mid-January

MANILA, Philippines — The government may start vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 years old against COVID-19 by the second or third week of January, according to National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.

Galvez told reporters on Tuesday that the government has already secured 15 million doses of Pfizer vaccines, which were of lower dosage and concentration than those given to adults, back in October.

The first batch of Pfizer vaccines intended for the specific age group would start arriving by next month based on their negotiations. The next tranches will be delivered on February and March.

The vaccine czar said he also asked the COVAX facility and the United Nations Children’s Fund if they could spare the Philippines some of its Pfizer vaccines specifically for younger children.

The government aims to inoculate 14.7 million children belonging to this specific age group.

The Food and Drug Authority granted an emergency use authorization for the vaccine to be administered for children age 5 to 11. Based on the documents it has submitted, Pfizer has an efficacy rate of above 90 percent for the age group. The US-developed vaccine is already being used for the younger age group in the United States, Europe and Canada. INQ