Some 500,000 kids ages 5 to 11 signed up for COVID vaccine rollout, says official

MANILA—An estimated 500,000 children ages 5 to 11 have preregistered for the COVID-19 vaccination rollout on Monday, an official from the National Vaccination Operations Center said Saturday.

The country's vaccination team said the COVID-19 shots that arrived this Friday will be enough to cover the age bracket, as another batch will come in the country this month. 

The Philippines on Friday accepted 780,000 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 jabs. The arrival was postponed by a day due to logistical issues. 

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The Pfizer vaccine has an efficacy rate of 90 percent among children aged 5 and above, with "very mild" adverse events, the Food and Drug Administration earlier said. 

There are some 13.5 million children aged 5 to 11 in the country, according to the DOH. 

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