The Philippines is eyeing to kick off its coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination program for children with comorbidities aged 12 to 17 by Oct. 15, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said on Wednesday, Sept. 29.

DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said that the government is still crafting the guidelines for the vaccination for adolescents.

“We hope to release by next week yung ating (the) operational guidelines,” said Cabotaje in a public press briefing.

“Ang target natin ay masimulan ito sa Oct. 15. Umpisahan natin sa National Capital Region kasi maganda-ganda na yung kanilang coverage ng kanilang vaccination (Our target is to start it on Oct. 15. We will start in the National Capital Region because their vaccination coverage is already good),” she noted.

Cabotaje noted that children aged 12 to 17 with "medical complexities" such as in the heart, respiratory, kidney, among others will be inoculated first.

In a statement, the DOH said that they will be part of the A3 priority group.

“Expansion beyond this group will follow once adequate coverage of the A2 priority group or senior citizens has been achieved nationwide and vaccine supply becomes sufficient to include children,” the DOH said.

Only vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna which were approved for emergency use for children aged 12 to 17 by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be used for the vaccination of adolescents, said Cabotaje.

“Ang mga bakunang ito lamang ang gagamitin natin---na may parehong two dose interval na 28 days---at ang kanyang dose ay pareho ng adult dose (We will only use these vaccines --- with the same two dose interval of 28 days --- and the dosage is the same as the adult dose),” said Cabotaje.

The DOH said that “informed consent by the parent /guardian and child prior to vaccination” are needed as well as “medical clearance by a physician for children with co-morbidities.”

Meanwhile, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire urged all those eligible among the adult population to get vaccinated and get the additional protection that vaccines offer to also protect children who cannot be vaccinated as of this time.

“Like what our DOH All Expert Group has always emphasized, even if we have approved the recommendation to vaccinate children with comorbidities, we still have to increase our vaccination coverage among other priority groups, especially our senior citizens,” she said.

“COVID-19 vaccines continue to offer the protection they promised against severe COVID-19 and deaths, but we have to remember to still adhere to the minimum public health standards as we may still get infected or infect others,” she added.