American firm Moderna Inc. has applied for emergency use authorization (EUA) to use its coronavirus vaccine for children aged 12 years and above in the Philippines, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Eric Domingo said.
This developed as another shipment of Pfizer vaccine doses arrived in Manila on Wednesday.
The Customs-NAIA pre-cleared the 312,390 doses shipment, which is part of the five million doses of vaccine from the United States that are expected to arrive in the country this week.
Meanwhile, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez said the government has signed a purchase order for an additional 10 million doses of Sinovac jabs to make sure there will be stable deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines up to 25 million doses beginning next month.
Also, the National Capital Region’s vaccination program against COVID-19 is “on the right track to a happy Christmas, MMDA chairperson Benhur Abalos said.”
In other developments:
* The FDA did not grant China firm Sinovac’s application for the use of vaccines for kids due to its lack of clinical trials for children.
* The national government is not delaying the multi-party agreements (MPAs) with the LGUs and the private sector on the procurement of coronavirus vaccines, Galvez said Tuesday.
* Calls limiting access to malls and restaurants in Metro Manila to only fully vaccinated individuals should be put off until there’s enough supply of vaccines, Senator Win Gatchalian said.
* The Independent Bloc at the House of Representatives has urged the government to administer additional shots to frontline health workers and immunocompromised individuals in view of their “high risk of exposure and distinct vulnerability” to the coronavirus.
* Vaccines have prevented hospitalization of COVID-19 patients, according to Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte.
FDA chief Domingo, during a weekly Talk to the People briefing, said Moderna applied for an amendment in its EUA on August 19.
He said the vaccine experts are currently looking into Moderna’s application.
“Hopefully, within this week or next week evaluation would be complete,” Domingo pointed out.
Meanwhile, Galvez said: “The good thing about this is that the price we got is much lower than the original price of it, so we can see that there is an improvement in the supply of Sinovac, it is steady.”
He added that the manufacturer of the Pfizer vaccine might deliver about 5 million doses while Moderna might give around 3 to 4 million doses.
The Russian vaccine maker also promised to deliver the remaining 205,000 doses of Sputnik V Component II, which will be given to those who have already received the Component I shots, he said.
Galvez reported a total of 48,522,890 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to the country.