Bonus Question: Currently, there are now COVID-19 vaccines available. What vaccine is purchased by
the Philippine government and its level of efficacy?

Vaccines for COVID-19 are critical tools for helping bring the pandemic under control when combined with effective testing and existing prevention measures. With several promising vaccine candidates in the pipeline, some under review for approval and the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines approved for use by a number of stringent national regulatory bodies, the race for a safe and effective vaccine has entered into a new phase.

The threat to children posed by COVID-19 is enormous, extending far beyond the immediate physical effects of the disease. As lockdown restrictions continue or are re-imposed, children’s access to essential health services may be seriously affected. The resulting reductions in routine healthcare coverage levels and a looming recession are threatening the health and the future of a generation of children. Below are answers to some of the most common questions parents might have about COVID-19 vaccines.

When will a COVID-19 vaccine be ready?

Developing a safe and effective vaccine takes time, but thanks to the unprecedented investment in research and development and global cooperation, scientists have been able to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 in record time, while still maintaining robust, evidence-based and rigorous regulatory standards.

On 31 December 2020, WHO listed the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2) for emergency use, making it the first to receive emergency validation from WHO since the outbreak began a year earlier. The WHO Emergency Use Listing Procedure (EUL) is a risk-based procedure for assessing and listing unlicensed vaccines with the ultimate aim of expediting the availability of these products to people affected by a public health emergence

There are currently more than 200 additional vaccine candidates (56 in clinical and 166 in pre-clinical development) under development, with many in clinical trials. A number of these vaccine candidates are in Phase III clinical trials – the final step before a vaccine is approve

But it’s important to remember that the journey from developing a vaccine to licensing it, producing it at scale and using it widely is a long one. Once a vaccine receives the required approval, it will then be critical that it is made accessible, in a timely and equitable manner, to reach those that need it most. That’s where UNICEF and its partners of the

UNICEF will leverage its unique experience as the largest single vaccine buyer in the world by collaborating with the PAHO Revolving Fund and the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX Facility) in what could possibly be the world's largest and fastest procurement and supply of vaccines.

HOPE IT HELP PO " -"