The Department of Health (DoH) said that those who will be authorized to administer the COVID-19 vaccines should first evaluate the medical history of a person before giving them the vaccines.
“Meron pong part ng assessment diyan po sa ating registration for this vaccination para madetermine natin sino ang puwedeng bigyan at sinong hindi puwedeng bigyan (There is an assessment part for this vaccination so that we can determine who are qualified to receive the vaccine),” said DoH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
It is important that the recipient should have a health body before getting vaccinated, said Vergeire.
So far, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines after it recently granted the American drug-maker an emergency use authorization.
Vergeire said that individuals with pre-existing conditions, as well as pregnant women, may receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, provided that they will be assessed first by their doctors.
The Health official also said that the Pfizer vaccines are not recommended for 16-years-old and below.
“Hindi pa nasusubukan itong bakuna na ito sa mga bata...Hindi po munang puwedeng ibigay sa mga bata (This vaccine has not been tested on children...Currently, it cannot be given to children),” said Vergeire.
Vergeire also advised that individuals who contracted COVID-19 before should be vaccinated to avoid reinfection.
Meanwhile, the DoH reported 2,058 new cases of COVID-19 in the country Saturday, bringing the country's total tally to 498,691.
The DoH said that 406 more patients recovered, raising the total number of those who have beaten the disease to 460,133. The death toll rose to 9,884 after eight more patients died.
Top five areas with the highest number of new cases were Cavite with 96, Rizal with 96, Leyte with 92, Quezon City with 85, and Mountain Province with 84.
The DoH said that there are 28,674 active cases or 5.7 percent of the country’s total number of confirmed cases. It said that 84.7 percent experienced mild symptoms, 7.7 percent are asymptomatic, 4.6 percent are in critical condition, 2.6 percent have severe symptoms, while 0.41 percent are in moderate condition.