The government clarified that the COVID-19 vaccination of children aged five to 11 years old has yet to start.
In an advisory, the Department of Health (DOH) said preparations are underway for the vaccine rollout of the youngest age group.
The National Vaccination Operations Center will announce the exact vaccination schedule “as soon as Covid-19 vaccines suitable for the ages 5 to 11 and its appropriate syringes become available”, the DOH said.
“While waiting for the Covid-19 vaccines to be rolled out or this pediatric group, we recommend that children complete their routine immunization to be protected from more contagious and fatal diseases, like measles, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria,” the advisory read.
The government is targeting to issue vaccine shots of at approximately 13.5 million children aged 5 to 11 vs. COVID-19.
The Food and Drug Authorization has already issued emergency use approval for the lower dosage of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for the age bracket.
The NTF Against COVID-19 said the purchasing of actual Pfizer doses with the lower dosage and concentration is ongoing.
The deliveries of the specified Pfizer vaccines might start in January of this year.
With additional report: Lade Jean Kabagani, Philippine News Agency
Image sources: Asian Development Bank, The Philippine Star, CNBC
