Administering booster dose for minors aged 12-17 may start by March

Students 12 to 17 years old get their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Lubao, Pampanga. (Photo from the Pampanga provincial government)

MANILA, Philippines — The program to administer COVID-19 booster doses for minors aged 12 to 17 may start by March, National Task Force Adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa said on Tuesday.

Herbosa recalled that the pediatric vaccination kicked off in November last year.

“Ang ating mga teenagers, 12 to 17, nag-umpisa kasi tayo niyan noong November. So, ang second dose nila, malamang naibigay nung December. So, ang ating booster dose, three months after the second dose,” he said.

(Our teenagers aged 12 to 17 received their vaccine in November. So, their second dose is probably in December. Booster doses are given three months after the second dose.)

“So, the earliest, ‘yung mga nauna, siguro early December, so baka early March natin maumpisahan ‘yung tinatawag na booster doses for the teenagers na 12 to 17 na inumpisahan natin nung November,” continued Herbosa.

(So, the earliest, those who were fully vaccinated in December may be administered with a booster by March for the teenagers aged 12 to 17.)

To date, only Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine were granted approval to be used for the said age group.

The intervals for the first and second doses of Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine are 21 and 28 days, respectively.

JPV