The Department of Health (DOH) has noted the “banning” of COVID-19 vaccines on minors in some provinces, something that is being done due to the lack of its supply coverage for those at higher risk of the disease.
This was confirmed by Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire Tuesday after it was reported that Moderna vaccines and other vaccine brands were injected into some 17-year-olds with comorbidity in Tacloban.
Moderna injection is only approved for people 18 years of age and older, according to the emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Philippine Food and Drug Administration. Only the Pfizer vaccine is available to 12-17-year-olds according to its EUA, but it has not yet been given to minors.
“Sa ngayon po, ang protocols ho, hindi pa rin tayo nagbubukas ng pagbabakuna para sa mga bata, even those with comorbidities… We have flagged this with our regional office in Region VIII, and we asked them to discuss this with the city health officer of Tacloban,” said Vergeire.
“[K]ahit naman po pinayagan [sila] ng kanilang pediatric cardiologist [para magpabakuna] pero ang national government protocol ay hindi pa ‘yan pinapayagan, hindi po nila dapat ginagawa ‘yon.”
DOH questions COVID-19 vaccinations of minors in Tacloban
Although Pfizer vaccines for minors already have the EUA, they are still “stabilizing” the supply of drugs and prioritizing the elderly and comorbidities in the adult population.
He said that the risk of those mentioned is greater because of the serious complications of COVID-19.
“[A]nd then [after that], vaccinations for children will follow din naman po basta nagkaroon tayo ng more evidence on safety and our supplies are enough already,” the DOH official added.
On Monday, the DOH recorded the largest number of new COVID-19 cases in Philippine history, reaching 22,366 in a single day. In total, 1.97 million infections have been recorded.
The World Health Organization in the Philippines also recently declared the Delta variant in the country as the “most prevalent” COVID-19 infection, which is much more contagious than usual.
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