Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) Chairperson Dr. Nina Gloriani said on Wednesday, June 15, that given the current Covid-19 situation of the country, there is a need to vaccinate children aged five and below as it will complete the country's immunization coverage.
During the Laging Handa Public Briefing, Gloriani stated that despite this, they would still have to consult the pediatricians. They will have to examine first who are eligible to receive Covid-19 vaccines.
"Normally, we’re looking at more healthy children pero sa totoo lang, ang binibigyan din natin ng bakuna against COVID-19 ay iyong mga may sakit, kasi sila iyong mas makaka-experience ng more severe form of COVID-19 (the truth is, we give the Covid-19 vaccines to those who are sick, since they are the ones who are most likely to experience severe Covid-19)," she explained.
The United States - Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may issue an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine and may start their rollout by June 21.
Tatlo usually iyong tinitingnan natin ‘no, iyong safety; iyong immunogenicity, kung nakaka-produce ba siya ng appropriate immune response; at iyong tinatawag nating efficacy or protection.
So far, Pfizer has yet to file for an EUA in the country.
But as far as safety, Gloriani said children aged five and below will experience the same side effects as the older demographic such as pain around the injection site, fever etc. which are only mild to moderate same with the adults.
In terms of immunogenicity, she mentioned that the data showed a high antibody response in children aged five and below, a little higher in the Geometric Mean Titer (GMT) ratio, which is at 1.2 up to 1.3 compared to those 16 to 25 years old and above.
In terms of efficacy although data on it is not entirely complete yet, Gloriani said that it gives a 76 to 80 percent protection against COVID-19.
With the rollout in the US slated this week, if ever Pfizer files an application in the country, Gloriani mentioned that it will take a three to four month evaluation and approval process from the FDA.
Then there's a second layer of approval which is the (Department of Health - Health Technology Assessment Council). She said that if the government will be buying the vaccines, it needs to pass through the HTAC and there will be a procurement process. All in all, the whole procedure might roughly take six months.