FDA OKs Pfizer’s EUA for 12-15 age group

MANILA – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the amendment to the emergency use authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine for individuals 12 to 15 years old, a health official confirmed Tuesday.

In a Viber message to reporters, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Department of Health welcomes the approval of more vaccines for children and adolescents.

On May 28, the FDA revised the EUA granted to the American-made Covid-19 vaccine to reflect the “inclusion of individuals 12 years of age and older in its indication for active immunization for the prevention of Covid-19″.

In January, the FDA granted an EUA clearing the vaccine for use of individuals 16 years old and above only.

“Due to limited vaccine supply, our vaccination strategy remains the same — prioritize the vulnerable and adhere to our prioritization framework,” Vergeire said. “The general consensus of our vaccine experts is to revisit pediatric and adolescent vaccination once our vaccine supply has stabilized”.

She also emphasized the government’s vaccine cluster, through National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, would secure the doses necessary “to vaccinate all eligible population for free”.

As of Sunday, the NTF reported that a total of 5,965,651 doses have already been administered. Of this, 4,421,319 are first doses and 1,544,332 are second doses.