DOH: No evidence booster shots guarantee protection vs. COVID-19

The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said there is no evidence yet proving that booster shots may provide complete protection against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“Wala pa tayong ebidensya, complete evidence, that will state, that guarantee, na kapag bigyan kita ng third dose ng bakuna, it will guarantee na protektado ka na talaga sa sakit na ito,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said at a media forum.

(We don’t have evidence, complete evidence, that will state, that will guarantee, that individuals given booster shots will be completely protected from the virus.)

Vergeire issued the remark after the call for healthcare workers to get booster shots.

“Having to weigh between the benefit, the risk… the cost to government, and the equity component of that, the DOH decided based on recommendations from our experts na hindi muna natin bibigay ang boosters,” she said.

“Babakunahan at magfo-focus muna tayo sa ating mga hindi pa nababakunahan kahit isang dose ng bakuna. We would like to be as equitable as possible to protect as many from the population,” she added.

(Let’s vaccinate and focus on individuals who have yet to be inoculated. We would like to be as equitable as possible to protect as many from the population.)

Vergeire has previously said that evidence supporting booster doses remains “minimal” and incomplete despite its inclusion in the proposed budget for 2022.

The World Health Organization has also urged countries to fully vaccinate their most vulnerable population before getting booster shots.

Meanwhile, Vergeire said the DOH has advised healthcare workers on how to prevent acquiring the virus, such as getting the proper fit of personal protective equipment and implementing administrative and engineering control in hospitals.

“Nakita natin, most of the infections in the hospitals are from the community. Ibig sabihin, uuwi sila, pagbalik nila sa ospital, meron na pala silang napanghawaan o nahawa na pala sila and they didn’t know,” she said.

(We saw that most of the infections in the hospitals are from the community. This means they will go home and once they return to the hospital, they are already infected and they just didn’t know.)

But Vergeire stressed that the Health Department is not opposed to booster shots.

“Tayo po ay bukas diyan. Pero kailangan po, kami po sa gobyerno, the DOH needs enough basis para po masiguro that it is going to be safe, that it’s going to be of quality, and it’s going to really provide kung ano ‘yung sinasabi na magiging proteksyon ng booster bago tayo makapagrekomenda,” she said.

(We are open to this. But we, in the government, the DOH needs enough basis to ensure that it will be safe, that it will be of quality, and that it will really provide the protection that it says it will. Then the DOH will recommend.)

“‘Yan po ay napaliwanag natin sa kanila at sa tingin ko naman po ay nagkaroon po ng pagkakaintindihan,” she added.

(We explained this to them and I think we reached an understanding.)

— RSJ, GMA News