Philippines approves vaccination for kids as young as 12

MANILA • The Philippines has approved Covid-19 jabs for children as young as 12, an aide to President Rodrigo Duterte said yesterday, as the country battles surging infections fuelled by the contagious Delta variant.

The government has been criticised over the glacial roll-out of vaccines, with just over a quarter of the adult population fully vaccinated nearly seven months after the first doses were delivered.

The Department of Health reported 13,846 new infections yesterday, bringing the total number of cases in the Philippines to 2,522,965.

Inoculating children is seen as a key step towards reopening schools in the Philippines, one of the few countries in the world to have kept them shut since the start of the pandemic. The government recently announced plans for a pilot reopening of 120 primary and high schools.

Kids will be allowed to receive the jabs from next month, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said, as the vaccination drive is widened to include all adults not previously prioritised for shots.

The country's food and drug regulator recently approved the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for kids aged 12 and above.

The move follows other countries, such as Britain, the United States and Australia, which have approved specific jabs for adolescents.

The World Health Organisation is still conducting trials on vaccinations for children and has recommended that only adolescents at high risk of contracting Covid-19 receive Pfizer shots.

Although children are considered less at risk of severe Covid-19, there are concerns that the highly contagious Delta variant could lead to more serious cases.

The government has previously set a target of vaccinating 70 per cent of adults by the end of the year. In the national capital region, more than 72 per cent are fully vaccinated, Mr Roque said.

In a pre-recorded speech broadcast yesterday, Mr Duterte said people refusing vaccines could be forced by police to get inoculated.

"If everybody does not comply with the vaccines... then the police must go in and intervene in your private life so that you cannot be a danger to society," he said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE