Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 3) — The government is eyeing to expand the COVID-19 vaccination program to children aged five to 11 years old in 2022, a health official said Wednesday.
“We have considered that in our plans for next year – vaccination of below 12 years old,” Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, who also heads the National COVID-19 Vaccination Operations Center, said in an online media forum.
But first, the Health Technology Assessment Council and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) need to approve the expansion, Cabotaje said.
She also said that it is up to these agencies to decide what COVID-19 vaccine brand can be given to minors aged 5 to 11 as she noted that the shots developed by Pfizer and Sinovac are recommended for this age group in other countries. The United States FDA, for example, earlier issued emergency use authorization to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for five-to-11-year-old children.
The local COVID-19 immunization program currently covers only those aged 12 and above. The vaccination drive was earlier only open to priority groups due to limited vaccine supply.
As of Tuesday, Nov. 2, almost 28 million people have been fully vaccinated in the Philippines, Cabotaje reported. The country aims to vaccinate at least 77 million people by the end of the year.
Cabotaje said Metro Manila remains with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate among all regions while Bangsamoro has the lowest.
