DOH: Philippines getting inventory of vaccinated health workers for booster shots

The Philippines is already getting an inventory of the healthcare workers who will receive booster shots against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

Health Undersecretary and National Vaccination Operations Center chairperson Myrna Cabotaje said it will inoculate around 1.9 million healthcare workers.

“Nagta-tally na kami. Nagi-imbentaryo na kami nung mga healthcare workers na nabakunahan na, kailan ba sila nabakunahan, ano ‘yung mga binakuna sa kanila,” she said at a media briefing.

(We’re already creating a tally and getting an inventory of the healthcare workers that have been vaccinated, when they were vaccinated, and what they were vaccinated with.)

Cabotaje said the government will be able to start the inoculation once the emergency use authorization of the vaccines has been approved and the World Health Organization has released its recommendation.

“Nagpla-plano na tayo. We have our data, we are validating sa ating mga areas, facilities nationwide. Ano ‘yung mga bakuna nila para alam na natin, maibigay na natin,” Cabotaje said.

(We’re already planning. We have our data, we are validating the areas, facilities nationwide, so we will know what vaccines to give.)

“As soon as the SAGE recommendations come out the following day, puwede na tayo magbakuna sa mga healthcare worker priority. Tapos… let’s look at our immunocompromised,” she added.

(As soon as the SAGE recommendations come out, we could vaccine healthcare workers the following day. Then let’s look at our immunocompromised.)

Cabotaje said it will coordinate with patient and doctors groups to identify the immunocompromised individuals.

“We will also track them. We are already starting to track them,” she said. 

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire previously said that booster shots are given when immunity is starting to wane off several months after receiving the vaccine while additional doses, or the third doses, are given to individuals who cannot mount the appropriate immunity against the sickness.

The Food and Drug Administration has received applications to amend the emergency use authorizations of some COVID-19 vaccines to include a third dose in their regimen.

Meanwhile, the DOH has said that the recommendations of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts of the World Health Organization will be released this November.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. previously said the government will allot around 7 million doses for the third and booster shots of some priority groups. — RSJ, GMA News