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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Saturday said Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 might consider including children 12 to 17 year old in the vaccination program at the end of 2021.

FDA Director General Eric Domingo said as long as there would be a steady supply of vaccine, teens with comorbidities could be prioritized should their age group be included in the country’s vaccination program soon.

“Palagay ko po na 4th quarter of the year, from October [to] December ay aabot na rin naman sa mga bata ang ating vaccination, pero ‘yun nga po hanggang 12 years old pa lamang,” Domingo said.

“Kung hindi man lahat ng bata for example na 12 to 17 ang kayang bigyan, iniisip nila kung paano tayo ay may prioritization sa adults… baka possible na sa children baka ‘yun din ang decision na uunahin muna ‘yung mga at higher risk and then later on the healthier children,” he added.

The inclusion of children age 12 to 17 in the vaccination program came about after FDA approved the use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines for children last Friday.

The Philippine FDA in August also approved emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine for children 12 and up.

Earlier this week, vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. said the country is expecting delivery of 25 million COVID-19 shots this September alone, and some 137 million additional doses until the end of the year.

Despite this, however, Domingo reiterated that the decision for children to be vaccinated lies with the parents.

He urged them to read the product label of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 jabs posted on their respective websites for an “informed decision.”

“Hindi babakunahan ang anak ninyo hangga’t di kayo pumapayag. Totoo naman na mayroon talagang adverse events, mayroong mild reactions,” he explained.

The government is pinning its hopes for economic recovery on its inoculation program, which started in March.

At least 14.1 million people have been fully vaccinated from COVID-19 in the country as of Wednesday, government data showed.