The Department of Health (DOH) has included pregnant women among priority groups for vaccination against COVID-19.
In a statement Thursday, DOH spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they would be revising their existing guidelines to indicate that pregnant women were now part of the Expanded A3 group.
“Based on the recommendations of our experts, COVID-19 vaccines are generally safe for pregnant women and getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is actively recommended during the second or third trimester,” she said.
“High risk pregnant women in their first trimester may also be vaccinated provided that benefits and risks have been fully explained and upon securing medical clearance from their doctor,” she said.
Vergeire said the only vaccine that should not be given to pregnant women would be Gamaleya’s Sputnik V.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier recommended that pregnant women should get the vaccine after a new analysis found no increased risk of miscarriage.
According the US CDC, miscarriage rates after vaccination were similar to what were expected.
In other developments:
* More than 12 million Filipinos were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while over 26.1 million doses have been administered as of August 11, 2021.
In a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque expressed confidence that more Filipinos would be willing to be vaccinated to address the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
The Philippines has received around 39.5 million doses of mixed coronavirus vaccines, allowing the government to expand the vaccination to essential workers.
* The Food and Drug Administration said the inoculation of children would depend on how fast the government could obtain supply of Pfizer vaccines and administer jabs to high-risk people.
FDA director general Eric Domingo said Pfizer was the only approved brand of COVID-19 vaccine for use in children in the country now.
Domingo also said a study was needed first before the government could push through with its plan to use AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine as a second dose for Sputnik V.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said AstraZeneca doses might be used as a second dose if the second component of Sputnik V fails to arrive in the country.
* The Philippines has approved an emergency use authorization for the Hayat-Vax vaccine against COVID-19, the FDA announced.
Domingo said the vaccine was approved for use on individuals aged 18 and above.
The FDA chief added that Hayat-Vax was “identical” to the Chinese-made Sinopharm jab.
Hayat-Vax is the product of a joint venture between Sinopharm and the Abu Dhabi-based company Group 42, with UAE saying the vaccine showed 86 percent efficacy in its trials.
* A party-list lawmaker has asked Congress to expedite the passage of his proposed bill which would create a globally-recognized vaccination passport.
Rep. Ronnie Ong of Ang Probinsyano party-list made the call as he warned that the absence of a credible proof of vaccination for Filipinos travelling overseas might lead to more entry refusals just like what is happening in Hongkong.
“The case of the overseas Filipino workers who were denied entry in Hongkong because immigration authorities refused to recognize their locally-issued vaccination cards should raise the urgency to have an internationally recognized and credible Covid-19 vaccination passport for all fully-vaccinated Filipinos,” Ong said.