THE GOVERNMENT might start the vaccination of minors aged 12 to 17 by mid-October, Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Thursday.

Galvez, the chief implementer of the National Action Plan on Covid19, said the country currently has 23.7 million vaccine doses in stock and is expecting to receive 20 million more by the first week of October.

Because of this, Galvez said the government can already inoculate more people in other sectors, particularly now that Metro Manila and numerous cities already “have a vaccine supply saturation.”

“We are proposing the vaccination of children by mid-October because by mid-October we will be able to vaccinate 12 million children aged 12 to 17. Our recommendation is to prioritize those with comorbidities and children of healthcare workers,” he said.

Galvez said this move will also help reach the target pace of about 500,000 to 800,000 jabs per day which is needed to achieve herd immunity.

So far, the Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines has only allowed the emergency use of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s Covid19 vaccine for minors aged 12 to 17.

Also, Galvez said that they will also concentrate in fully vaccinating teachers and school personnel as face-to-face classes are about to resume.

“Secretary Duque called me and instructed us that we need to concentrate with vaccination in schools and teachers,” Galvez said.

“Kaya nga ni-recommend din namin ‘yung mga bata kasi may kagat ‘yun sa mga puso ng mga magulang. Lalo na ‘yung iba na gusto pang magpunta sa abroad para makapagpabakuna ng (anak nila) – ‘yun talaga ang sintemyento ng mga magulang,” he added.

As of September 21, 19 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against Covid19, with 23.1 million partially vaccinated.