Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are now allowed to be administered to ages 12 to 17—FDA

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially approved the use of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine on adolescents, allowing it to be administered to those ages 12-17.

During the Laging Handa Friday briefing, FDA Director General Undersecretary Eric Domingo said Moderna applied for an amendment on the emergency use authority (EUA) on their vaccine two weeks ago and has since been approved by vaccine experts and the FDA’s regulatory body.

“In-approve na namin ngayong araw na ito ang paggamit—under EUA—ng Moderna vaccine aged 12 to 17 (We have approved this day the use—under EUA—of the Moderna vaccine for those aged 12 to 17),” Domingo said.

Domingo urged health professionals responsible for administering the vaccine to watch out for sporadic myocarditis—or heart inflammation, similar to other mRNA vaccines like the Pfizer BioNTech.

“Nakikita sa mga very few, very rarely, siguro few in several million, at mas nakikita sa mga younger males. So ito lamang ang dapat bantayan (It can be found in very few, very rarely, maybe few instances in several million and more common in younger males. So, this is what we need to watch out for),” Domingo explained.

With the increasing cases and the community transmission of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus, he said experts have found that the benefits of the vaccine “outweigh the risk”.

He noted that Moderna has applied for full approval with the US FDA, and results are expected to be released within September.

(Source: PNA)

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