FOUR coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine makers have applied for modification of their emergency use authorization (EUA) in the Philippines to include the booster and additional shots, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Chief Eric Domingo said on Tuesday, November 2, 2021.
During the talk to the People Address of President Rodrigo Duterte aired on Wednesday, November 2, Domingo said Pfizer, Astrazeneca, Sinovac and Sputnik have applied authorization for boost shots in the country.
“Nag-request po sila na ma-include ang third dose sa kanilang regimen or a booster dose,” Domingo said.
(They requested for the inclusion of third dose or booster dose in their regimen.)
“Ipinadala po nila ang kanilang scientific data available at ito po iyong inaaral ngayon ng ating mga expert,” he added.
(They sent us their available scientific data and our experts are currently studying these.)
Domingo said the FDA is looking at the safety and efficacy of the vaccines if they will be given as a third dose.
He said they are also assessing, together with the Department of Health (DOH), the safety and efficacy of mixing and matching of vaccines.
He said they are still waiting for the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) on giving a third dose, noting that not everybody needs it.
“Ang nakikita rin naman natin na magiging trend ay hindi naman lahat kakailanganin ng third dose, kundi iyong talagang selected the mangangailangan: the elderly, the immunocompromised, and healthcare workers,” he said.
(What we see is that not everybody will need a third dose. Those who will need it are the elderly, immunocompromised and healthcare workers.)
Domingo said the priority, still, is vaccinating those who have yet to receive vaccine jabs.
Last week, the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) approved the provision of booster and additional Covid-19 vaccine shots prioritizing frontline essential workers and persons with comorbidities, provided that there is a sufficient vaccines supply and that the acceptable vaccination coverage has already been achieved, especially the 70 percent of the target population in the hotspot regions, including National Capital Region, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Calabarzon and Central Luzon.
Health workers and elderlies can be given booster shots six months after they completed the single- or two-dose Covid-19 vaccines, while immunocompromised patients should be given additional doses of the same brand at least 28 days after they completed their vaccination.
For those who received two doses of Pfizer vaccines and a single dose of Jansen, they are only allowed to be administered with the same brand for boosters.
For Astrazeneca recipients, they may have Pfizer of the same brand as boosters.
Those who complete Sinovac’s Coronavac vaccine may receive Pfizer, Astrazeneca or the same brand as booster doses, while Moderna may be mixed and matched with Pfizer aside from the same brand.
The HTAC, however, suggested that those who received Janssen and Sinovac should be given Pfizer vaccines as an additional dose.
Booster shots are being given to those whose immunity from the virus was decreasing over the time they completed the vaccine shots, while additional vaccine shots were for those who did not reach the ideal immune response level against the virus.
National Task Force Against Covid-19 Chief Carlito Galvez Jr. said they are eyeing to begin the administration of booster and additional shots by November 15.
He said they have to wait for the guidelines from the DOH, the amended EUA and the recommendation of the WHO.
The Philippines has so far received a total of 102,212,560 Covid-19 vaccines since February.
Galvez said this is enough to cover some of those prioritized for booster and additional shots.
He said 1.5 million health workers and 4.6 million senior citizens have completed their Covid-19 vaccination, making them eligible for booster shots.
Around 7.4 million persons with comorbidities have been fully vaccinated, according to the DOH.
Galvez said the vaccine doses, which will be delivered in the country, will be allocated for booster and additional shots.
“Iyong mga darating po na mga bakuna ilalaan po natin sa mga boosters
(The incoming vaccines will be allocated as boosters) this coming first quarter of 2022,” he said.
“Iyong first quarter natin at saka second quarter, hindi na po tayo mawawala ng bakuna. Iyon po ang ano natin, na at least before the election, magkakaroon na po ng halos maraming boosters na po ang ating mga kasamahan,” he added.
(We will have enough supply of vaccines for the first and second quarter. We want that before the May 2022 elections, we will have more boosters.)
Galvez said the government is expecting to receive more vaccine donations from China, Japan and Germany, adding that this will further boost the country’s vaccination drive. (SunStar Philippines)