The vaccination against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) of 15.56 million children aged five to 11 will officially kick off on February 1 to 7.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Pfizer vaccine with adjusted solution fit for the use of the said age bracket will arrive in the country by the end of this month.
“Pfizer advanced their delivery so instead of February, they will make it in last week of January. By February 1 to 7, that’s when we will start the mini rollout,” Galvez said.
“Everything is planned with regards to the children’s vaccination because it is one of our main objectives. We want to open up the classes and lift the restrictions on the children,” he added.
However, other specific details including what hospitals and how many individuals will be included in the pilot are yet to be revealed by the NTF.
Meanwhile, the inoculation of 11.11 million children aged zero to four years old is also being considered by the NTF although Galvez said they are still awaiting the results of their consultations with different vaccine manufacturers.
The planned rollout will reportedly take place in the second quarter of 2022.
Late last month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has approved the emergency use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on children aged five to 11.
The vaccination of the said age bracket follows the inoculation of 12.74 million minors aged 12 to 17 in October 2021.
The vaccination of 12 to 17-year-olds is targeted to be finished within the first quarter of 2022 while their booster vaccination is slated to begin in the second quarter of the year.