Duque says he’s pushing for booster shots for healthcare workers

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday said he is pushing the government to administer booster shots against COVID-19 to healthcare workers.

“Personally I’d recommend booster shots for our healthcare workers and I’m pushing for it,” Duque told ANC in a mix of English and Filipino.

However, Duque said that the agency’s experts recommended for the government to focus on inoculating those who have yet to receive the vaccine.

“It’s just that our own experts group… they're all saying that we have to ensure that a bigger percentage of the population must receive the primary series of vaccines,” he said.  

Nearly 23.8 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of October 13, representing 30.81% of the target population, according to Malacañang. 

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire has previously said there is no evidence yet proving that booster shots provide complete protection against COVID-19.

Vergeire said the DOH had explained this to healthcare workers and that she believed they had reached an understanding on the matter.

A recent survey conducted by the DOH among healthcare workers showed around half of the 10,525 respondents were not willing to take booster shots sans experts' approval. — VBL, GMA News