The Philippines awaits the necessary application coming from Pfizer before the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) is amended and its coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine can be used for those who are in the 12 to 15 age group.
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Vaccine Expert Panel Head Dr. Nina Gloriani, during the Laging Handa public briefing on Wednesday, May 12, explained that the country is waiting for the application from Pfizer on the use of its vaccine to the younger population.
“Actually, this is an amendment to the EUA that we already have so we really look forward to that because it will address vaccinating an age group which we cannot do using the other vaccines,” Gloriani said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 10 authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 years old.
To date, Gloriani said that the country’s vaccine panel has yet to receive technical data on the use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for the said age group. “But its immunogenicity or immunoresponse to this age group, 12 to 15, is good and comparable to that of the immunoresponse for 16 above to 25,” she added.
Gloriani noted that the panel is “really looking forward to that” but clarified that “it’s not just Pfizer that’s doing the studies on children - even Moderna and Janssen.”
She added that Pfizer and Moderna are also both looking into the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine among infants and children aged six months up to 11 years old.
“Ang sabi ng Moderna, baka end of the year or early next year mapapasok na yung para sa children, magkaka-EUA na (Moderna said that by the end of the year or next year, the will come in and we will have EUA already),” Gloriani said.