VACCINE czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Wednesday, September 22, 2021, they are proposing the vaccination of children ages 12 to 17 by middle of October this year.

Galvez said the country currently has 23 million Covid-19 vaccines on stockpile, while 20 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines are expected to arrive by mid-October.

“Kayang-kaya na po nating i-vaccinate natin 'yung ano ‘yung 12 million ano 12 million po na mga bata na 12 to ano 12 to 17,” he said.

“Iyon po ang sentimyento ng mga ibang mga parents dahil kasi...marami pong mga bata na talagang magsa-suffer din eh. Though ang sabi po ng mga ano ay unahin muna natin 'yung mga matatanda. Pero ang ano po natin talaga 'yung iba talagang ayaw pang magpabakuna,” he added.

Galvez said children belonging to the said age group with comorbidities and the children of health workers will be prioritized.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier approved the use of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to children as young as 12. The vaccine expert panel also green lighted the vaccination of children last week.

Galvez said as the vaccination of the target population is about to finish, they see the vaccination of the general public to start by November.

He said as of September 23, at least 19 million people were fully vaccinated. (SunStar Philippines)