There should be sufficient data first before the government will allow the administration of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for children, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday, Jan. 21.
“Sa katunayan, talagang wala pa hong kumpletong ebidensya sa ngayon para makapagbigay tayo ng boosters para sa ating mga nakababatang mamamayan ng Pilipinas (In fact, there is really no complete evidence yet for us to provide boosters for our younger people in the Philippines) —adolescents and the children,” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire during the Malacanang press briefing.
“Sa ngayon kaya wala pa rin tayong emergency use authority para diyan, dahil wala pa nga hong completed evidence (Right now, we still don't have an emergency use authority for that, because we don't have complete evidence yet). So, we will wait until there’s completed evidence,” she added.
Vergeire said that studies on the use of booster shots in children are still “evolving.”
“Kapag meron na po, at nakapagbigay na rin ng tamang rekomendasyon ang ating mga eksperto, atin pong ibibigay ang boosters para sa mga mas nakakababata (Once we have it, and our experts have given their recommendation, we will provide boosters for these young people),” she said.
Currently, only fully vaccinated Filipino adults are eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.
Vergeire made the statement after the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said that there remains no evidence that healthy children need COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.
"There is no evidence right now that healthy children or heavy adolescents need boosters. No evidence at all," Reuters reported quoting WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan.
Swaminathan said that the goal of giving boosters is to protect the vulnerable population.
"The aim is to protect the most vulnerable, to protect those at highest risk of severe disease and dying. Those are our elderly populations, immuno-compromised people with underlying conditions, but also healthcare workers," she said.