Philippines allows elderly to receive China's Sinovac vaccine

Filipinos aged 60 and above can now receive China's Sinovac vaccine after the Philippines' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed its use for senior citizens on Wednesday (Apr. 7).

"After considering the recommendation of the (vaccine) experts and the current situation of high COVID-19 transmission and limited available vaccines, the FDA is allowing the use of Sinovac on senior citizens," FDA Director General Enrique Domingo said in a statement.

Domingo added that the vaccination "should be preceded by an evaluation of the person's health status and exposure risk to assure that benefits of vaccination outweigh risks."

The Philippines kicked off its vaccination drive on March 1, a day after China's first batch of donated COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Manila.

The Philippines, with a population of about 110 million, now has 819,164 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 14,059 deaths.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)