Philippines receives over 2M Pfizer COVID-19 jabs for kids from Australia

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines received more than two million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Australia that will be used to immunize children, the Department of Health said Friday.

In a release, the DOH said the agency has received 2.28 million doses of pediatric Pfizer jabs from the Australian government through the support of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.

An additional 720,000 doses are expected to arrive in the country within the same week.

The initial tranche is part of the six million pediatric Pfizer vaccine doses that Australia will donate to the Philippines until the end of this year.

“These vaccines are an important part of the Australian government’s support for children in the Philippines, which extends across the health, education sectors, and protection from abuse and exploitation,” said Mr. Richard Sisson, Chargé d’Affaires of the Australian Embassy to the Philippines.

The Australian government also procured and donated solar-powered vaccine refrigerators, walk-in cold rooms and personal protective equipment. It also helped train 490 health staff on cold chain management.

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the department is hoping that more parents will get their children vaccinated against COVID-19 with the arrival of more vaccines.

Latest government data showed that more than 9.9 million adolescents and almost 4.9 million children have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Overall, 72.8 million Filipinos have completed vaccination against the virus. — Gaea Katreena Cabico