By Ana Rufa Padua

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Philippines has authorized emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents ages 12 to 17 years old on September 3, Friday.

FDA Director-General Eric Domingo said in a Laging Handa press briefing that after an evaluation of the Moderna vaccine by the country’s experts, they concluded that it was safe for adolescents. 

“After a thorough evaluation by our vaccine experts and our regulatory experts sa FDA, in-approve na namin ngayong araw na ito ang paggamit under emergency use authorization ng Moderna vaccines for adolescents aged 12 to 17,” Domingo said. 

Moderna submitted clinical data and necessary documents to the FDA on August 19, asking to extend their inoculation of  COVID-19 vaccine to people below the age of 18.

Due to the limited supplies of vaccines for the priority groups, health officials have decided that the doses [of the Moderna vaccine] will continue to be prioritized for high-risk groups such as people with comorbidities.

Moderna vaccine is the second COVID-19 vaccine approved for adolescents, following the approval of Pfizer’s emergency use for children ages 12 to 15 years old earlier this year.

China’s Sinovac is also awaiting approval for its use on children 3 to 17 years of age.

The following COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized by the FDA: Pfizer, AstraZeneca, CoronaVac, Sputnik V, Janssen, Covaxin, Moderna, and Sinopharm.

As of September 1, 2021, a total of 34,112,320 vaccine doses have been administered with 14,109,916 people fully vaccinated.

The country’s vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr, said on August 8 that the government is looking to open vaccination to the general public, including minors aged 12-17, by September or October depending on the vaccine supply.

For details on how to schedule your vaccination, you may visit https://doh.gov.ph/Vaccines/when-will-the-COVID-19-available-to-me.

REFERENCES:

• Food and Drug Administration. (2021, September 2). List of FDA issued Emergency Use Authorization – Food and Drug Administration. www.fda.gov.ph/list-of-fda-issued-emergency-use-authorization/
• Galvez, D. (2021, September 3). FDA OKs emergency use of Moderna vaccine on adolescents aged 12 to 17. INQUIRER.Net. newsinfo.inquirer.net/1482938/fda-oks-emergency-use-of-moderna-vaccine-on-adolescents-aged-12-to-17
• Google News. (2021, September 2). Coronavirus (COVID-19). news.google.com/covid19/map?hl=en-PH&state=7&mid=%2Fm%2F05v8c&gl=PH&ceid=PH%3Aen
• Santos, J. (2021, September 3). Philippines approves Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine use for 12–17 year olds | News |. GMA News Online. www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/801956/gov-t-approves-moderna-s-covid-19-vaccine-use-for-12-17-year-olds/

Tomacruz, S. (2021, September 3). Philippines allows emergency use of Moderna vaccine on adolescents aged 12 to 17. Rappler. www.rappler.com/nation/philippines-allows-emergency-use-moderna-covid-19-vaccines-12-17-year-olds

Photo Source: Open Access Government