TO VACCINATE more minors aged 12 to 17, the government has signed an agreement to purchase 20 million additional doses of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid19 vaccines.

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the move raised the country’s total order of Pfizer vaccine to 60 million doses.

“We are very happy with this development, as it will substantially increase our current vaccine supply inventory. These 20 million Pfizer doses are in addition to the 40 million shots we had secured for the country earlier this year,” Galvez said.

“With these additional doses, we can ensure the sustainability of our National Vaccination Program, and hit the vaccination targets we have set not only for this year, but for 2022 as well,” he added.

Edilberto Reyes, Pfizer Philippines interim country manager, said the 20 million Pfizer doses will be delivered to the country starting January 2022.

“We are very happy to continue our partnership with the Philippines government, thus enabling the immunization of the country’s population throughout 2022,” Reyes said in a statement.

The pediatric vaccination began on October 15.

Vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna were approved by the Philippine Food and Drugs Administration for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old.

The FDA expects Pfizer to apply for emergency use authorization of its vaccine on children aged 5 to 11.