SINOVAC vaccines for COVID-19 may now be used for minors aged 6 to 17 years, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
In a press conference yesterday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH has approved the use of CoronaVac/Sinovac “as primary series for 6 to 17 years old as an alternative for mRNA vaccines.”
She said the approval was recommended by the Health Technology Assessment Council, and implementing guidelines have been issued for the usage of Sinovac jabs for minors.
Prior to the approval, only Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are being used for adolescents 12 to 17 years old, while only Pfizer is allowed for the children aged 5 to 11 years old.
As of October 17, almost 10 million adolescents, and almost 5.2 million children have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
In all, about 73.4 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the DOH.
Vergeire said negotiations with vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna
are ongoing for the availability of the bivalent vaccines, or the Omicron-specific vaccines.
With Moderna, she said, term sheets are being finalized after the manufacturer provided them with an “indicative price.”
As for Pfizer, she said, details of the non-disclosure agreement are being finalized ahead of the start of the negotiations.
Vergeire said the target for the rollout of the new generation COVID-19 vaccines remains at the first quarter of 2023.
