More than 5.2 million children fully vaccinated vs COVID-19 — Galvez
MANILA, Philippines — Some 5.2 million children have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus since the inoculation of minors was gradually rolled out this year, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Friday.
"We are happy that the children, over 8 million [of them] have been vaccinated and 5.2 million have received a second dose,” Galvez said in Filipino during a briefing aired on state media.
"We are negotiating with Pfizer to expedite [the vaccines] we ordered for [children ages] 5 to 11 and hopefully it arrives the second or third week of January,” he added. "We will start right away once were receive [the shipment].”
The Philippines last week approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.
Prior to this, only minors aged 12 to 17 were eligible to receive either a Pfizer or Moderna shot. The vaccination drive was expanded to include them in September.
Overall, the vaccine czar said the number of people fully vaccinated had breached the 50-million mark.
Officials were hoping to inoculate 54 million people before yearend but Galvez said the onslaught of Super Typhoon Odette derailed vaccination efforts.
Galvez said the government would likely hit the 54-million mark in the first or second week of January 2022.
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