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| A health worker inoculates a child with a COVID-19 vaccine on October 15, 2021. (Photo from National Task Force COVID-19) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] MANILA: The government needs 38.67 million anti-COVID jabs for the vaccination of minors, National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Thursday. Galvez said 12 million doses would be used for the vaccination of 12- to 17-year-olds; over 15.56 million for five to 11 years and about 11.11 million doses for infants and toddlers or the zero to four population, PH Inquirer reported.
“We have decided that the other vaccines such as Moderna and Pfizer will be concentrated on the pediatric vaccination, considering that it will also be used as boosters for 12 to 17 years old. We really have constraints with other (brands) of vaccines, considering that the other vaccines can only be used for primary series. We only have two vaccines that can be used for 12 to 17 years old while only one vaccine brand for five to 11 years old,” Galvez said. The government is waiting for the emergency use authorization (EUA) of jabs for infants and toddlers aged zero to four.
As it considers acquiring more than 60 million formulated or lower-dosed COVID-19 jabs as primary series and booster shots for a much younger population. Earlier, Galvez said some 780,000 lower-dosed Pfizer vaccines are expected to arrive by the end of January, followed by 1,632,000 doses in February.
