DOH to receive additional 720K doses pediatric COVID-19 vaccine from Australia

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said it is set to receive an additional 720,000 doses of pediatric Pfizer vaccines from the Australian government through the support of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund  (UNICEF).

In a statement, the DOH said the 720,000 doses will arrive within the same week to complete three million pediatric Pfizer vaccine doses.

The Philippines has currently received 2,280,000 doses of pediatric Pfizer vaccines from the Australian government, according to the DOH.

The Health Department said this is part of the six million total pediatric Pfizer vaccine doses to be donated to the Philippines by the end of this year in support of the COVID-19 recovery as children have now started going back to school.

“Promoting children’s health and well-being is everyone’s responsibility. Helping children recover from the effects of COVID-19 requires a concerted effort from all sectors of society. By strengthening our partnerships and growing our collaboration with one another, we achieve more for children,” UNICEF Philippines representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov said.

The DOH said the Australian government also helped to train 490 health staff on cold chain management and provided public health messaging to eight million people in 14 local government units to improve the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.

“We are pleased to be playing a role in ensuring all Filipino children can recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Richard Sisson, Chargé d’Affaires of the Australian Embassy to the Philippines, said.

“These vaccines are an important part of the Australian Government’s support for children in the Philippines, which extends across the health, education sectors, and protection from abuse and exploitation,” he added.

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire thanked UNICEF and the Australian government for their support.

“We extend our salutations and thanks to the Australian Government, for coming to the aid of our pediatric population and the rest of every Juan and Juana. With this new batch of vaccines, we hope that more parents will get their children vaccinated against COVID-19 for their protection and continued safe learning,” Vergeire said. — RSJ, GMA News