MANILA – After receiving approval from Philippine authorities, Sinovac’s CoronaVac, a Chinese vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), can now be used for pediatric vaccination.
“We thank the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and our vaccine experts for approving Sinovac’s CoronaVac for ages 6 and above,” IP Biotech Group chairman Enrique Gonzales said in a statement Saturday.
IP Biotech Group is a pharmaceutical consortium that facilitated the initial arrival of Sinovac procured by the private sector.
According to IP Biotech’s statement, the FDA issued an emergency use authorisation (EUA) for Sinovac on Saturday, allowing the Chinese vaccine to be used for immunization of minors. FDA officer-in-charge director general Dr. Oscar Gutierrez Jr. signed the eight-page document.
“Making this vaccine available to the younger age segment is a game changer protecting the country’s youth and preserving recent gains in controlling the pandemic. This will also ensure greater access and vaccine equity for the Philippines,” Gonzales added.
Based on research conducted in Chile, Sinovac’s efficacy is 74 percent among 1.9 million children aged 6 to 17 years old.
It also prevented hospitalization of 90 percent of children that got vaccinated by Sinovac but still had breakthrough infection, and 100 percent of them avoided intensive care unit hospitalization and death.
“The data will show that Sinovac is indeed a very safe choice for children and teenagers. This supports the notion on the safety and reliability of inactivated virus vaccines, much like the flu vaccine,” Gonzales said.
Sinovac is used for pediatric vaccination in neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and China.
He also stated that including Sinovac into the pediatric vaccination program will enable the country to attain its objective of immunizing 39 million children.
For pediatric vaccination, the government has been using the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine brands.
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