THE Department of Health (DOH) will study the vaccination of young children against COVID-19 following the start of inoculation of adolescents.

Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje issued the statement after the United States’ Food and Drug Administration revealed that it authorized Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE coronavirus vaccine use for kids aged five to 11 years.

“Yes, considering na sa ibang bansa below 12 na ang binabakunahan. Hihintayin natin ang resulta ng pag-aaral,” she said.

Cabotaje explained that studies indicated that unlike adolescents and eligible adults, younger children must only take one third of the COVID-19 vaccine dose.

Currently, the government is focusing on inoculation of minors aged 12-17 with comorbidities. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. had declared that all minors aged 12 to 17 may get vaccinated against the coronavirus starting Nov. 3.

On Saturday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Saturday the completion of the vaccination of around 12.7 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 against COVID-19 could be achieved in the first quarter of 2022.

A total of 23,727 minors with comorbidities aged 12 to 17 have been vaccinated so far against COVID-19.

The US FDA on Friday authorized the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE coronavirus vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years, making it the first COVID-19 shot for young children in the US.

The shot will not be immediately available to the age group. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still needs to advise on how the shot should be administered, which will be decided after a group of outside advisers discuss the plan on Tuesday.

Pfizer said it will begin shipping pediatric vials of the vaccine on Saturday to pharmacies, pediatricians’ offices and other places where the shots may be administered.

The FDA decision is expected to make the vaccine available to 28 million American children, many of whom are back in school for in-person learning.

Only a few other countries, including China, Cuba and the United Arab Emirates, have so far cleared COVID-19 vaccines for children in this age group and younger.

The FDA authorized a 10-microgram dose of Pfizer’s vaccine in young children, lower than the 30 micrograms in the original vaccine for those age 12 and older.

Advisers on the FDA panel said a lower dose could help mitigate some of the rare side effects after paying close attention to the rate of heart inflammation, or myocarditis, that has been linked to both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, especially in young men.

The FDA said that known and potential benefits of the Pfizer vaccine in individuals aged between 5 and 11 outweigh the risks.

For the pediatric shots, the FDA has authorized a new version of the vaccine, which uses a new buffer and allows them to be stored in refrigerators for up to 10 weeks.

Pfizer and BioNTech said their vaccine showed 90.7% efficacy against the coronavirus in a clinical trial of children aged 5 to 11.

Pfizer’s vaccine was the first to be authorized for emergency use in the United States in December last year for those age 16 and older and was granted full US approval in August.