At least 45K doses allocated for 3-phase pediatric vaccination

MANILA – The government has initially set aside between 45,000 and 50,000 doses for the pilot rollout of the pediatric vaccination in the National Capital Region (NCR) starting October 15.

The allocation will be based on the number of registered patients in each of the eight hospitals, according to Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer, on Friday during the arrival of 2,793,240 doses of Moderna and AstraZeneca jabs at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1.

The hospitals participating in the vaccination for the 12 to 17 years age group are Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Philippine Heart Center, Pasig City Children’s Hospital, Fe Del Mundo Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital Taguig, and Makati Medical Center.

The first phase will inoculate 15 to 17-year-olds, followed by the 12 to 14 bracket.

The second phase is a mini rollout in all NCR local government units, right after the 14-day test run in the eight hospitals, while the third phase is the vaccination of minors in areas where at least 50 percent of the elderly (A2) population have been jabbed.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the emergency use authorization of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both manufactured in the US.