First Pfizer shots for children aged 5-11 arrive in Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — The first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine doses reformulated for children aged five to 11 arrived Friday night in the Philippines after being delayed by a day.
This shipment, which landed around 9:30 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport onboard Air Hong Kong flight LD456, consists of 780,000 pediatric doses procured by the national government through the World Bank.
“This will make such a difference in the lives of all families in the Philippines. It will allow children to eventually get back to face-to-face learning, allow them to play with their friends and do important socializing,” US Embassy chargé d'affaires Heather Variava told reporters at NAIA.
Officials earlier announced that the Pfizer shots would arrive Thursday. The “logistical challenges” encountered in the shipment of the jabs prompted authorities to push back the start of the vaccination of children aged five to 11 to Monday.
“Masaya kaming binabalita na matutuloy na po ang ating rollout ng pagbabakuna para sa edad lima hanggang 11 sa Lunes,” vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said. “Gusto ko pong siguraduhin na ating mga magulang na ang bakuna pong ito ay ligtas at masusing pinag-aralan ng mga pinakamahusay na siyentipiko sa buong mundo.”
(We are happy to announce that the vaccination of those aged five to 11 will push through on Monday. I want to assure our parents that this vaccine is safe and has been carefully studied by the best scientists in the whole world.)
Malacañang has said that the vaccination of children will be initially rolled out in the Philippine Heart Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Manila Zoo, SM North EDSA Skydome and FilOil Gym.
But the start of the vaccination of children aged five to 11 is facing a legal challenge, with two parents asking the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to stop the inoculation of this age group.
Galvez, however, said he is confident that the court will side with the government.
Since March last year, 59 million Filipinos have completed vaccination against COVID-19. Over seven million people have so far received booster shots. — Xave Gregorio
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