The private sector is keen on the possible procurement of Pfizer vaccines to boost the protection of children against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said they would ask the government to allow private firms import Pfizer jabs and augment the country's supply under a tripartite arrangement.
"The government has ordered a lot for its own use and lgus (local government units) but the private sector would like to see how we can bring Pfizer so that eventually we can use this for our children," Concepcion said over ANC's Headstart program Tuesday, August 10.
"Although Secretary (Carlito) Galvez said they're planning to inoculate the children starting September, October, we'd like to participate if they will allow a tripartite agreement so that we can also help the children of our employees," he added.
The private sector has so far secured the supply of millions of AstraZeneca and Moderna jabs that would benefit their employees and their dependents. An initial 1.1 million AstraZeneca jabs arrived last month. More than 300,000 Moderna jabs were delivered Monday. These vaccines were bought by the private firms under a tripartite deal with the national government and the supplier.
Of the 38 million doses secured by the government, there are more than 3.4 million jabs Pfizer vaccines, believed to offer the highest efficacy rate against the virus.
Concepcion has pushed for the vaccination of children to ensure their protection from the virus amid concerns the highly transmissible Delta variant was reportedly sending kids to the hospital.
The jabs made by the US pharmaceutical firm has already been approved for children's use in some countries. The Philippines, however, has yet to start inoculating kids and has prioritized Filipino adults particularly the health workers and the seniors.
"Delta is hitting the children now and that's all over the world," Concepcion said.
"I understand the government has priority sectors where they have to prioritize the highly vulnerable people -- A3, A4 -- but the children right now will have to play into this equation because we don't want to see our kids going to the hospitals, going to the ICU (intensive care unit), being intubated and all of that, we have to prevent that from happening," he said.
Concepcion also stressed that the vaccination drive must be accelerated to prevent the "pandemic of the unvaccinated." He said the inoculation would build a wall of defense against the surging coronavirus infections.
Galvez earlier proposed the start of the vaccination of children with comorbidity starting next month. The government is currently giving vaccine priority to Filipino adults, particularly the health workers, senior citizens, people with comorbidity, essential workers, and indigent population.
More than 11 million Filipinos have so far been fully vaccinated since the government starts its vaccination program last March. It aims to inoculate 50 to 70 million Filipino adults by the end of the year or early 2022.