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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday estimates an additional 12 to 14 million people need to be vaccinated, if the government includes children aged 17 and below in the COVID-19 vaccination.

FDA Director General Eric Domingo said at present the agency only approving Pfizer-BioNTech for administration on children aged 12 to 17 and below.

“If we are going to include those 12 to 17 years old [in our vaccination program], that would mean additional 12 to 14 million [people to be vaccinated],” Domingo said during the Laging Handa briefing.

“Rest assured that like the vaccine approved for adults, we will not be giving these to children unless it is safe and effective,” Domingo added.

Chinese vaccine Sinovac is already applying for emergency use authorization (EUA) for  the use of its COVID-19 vaccine on children aged 3 to 17, but this is still under evaluation by the country’s Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP).

Likewise, Domingo said the EUA application of Novavax for its COVID-19 vaccine will be decided within 21 days.

“As long as they already submitted all the requirements, it (approval) should not be a problem,” he added.

The Philippines is eyeing to vaccinate 76.3 million people by the end of the year to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, a figure that does not include children aged 17 and below.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. has said that the country’s existing COVID-19 vaccine supply is short of at least 42 million doses.

The Health Department has also said that amid the emergence of the more contagious Delta variant, COVID-19 cases across all age groups has been increasing.  

DOH said Delta variant has been found in 13 of the 17 regions across the Philippines.

“Local Delta cases have been detected in 13 out of our 17 regions in the country,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

Vergeire said 355 of the 450 Delta variant cases are local, 69 are returning overseas Filipinos, and 26 are still undergoing verification. 

Vergeire said 35 Delta variant cases have been confirmed to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19; 17 have received one dose; 83 are unvaccinated; and 315 are still undergoing verification.

Fifty-five percent or 248 of the cases are male. Vergeire also said the ages of the Delta variant cases ranged from less than 1-year old to 84 years old.