Gov't eyes add'l COVID-19 vaccine doses for seniors, persons with comorbidities next week

The Philippines may start inoculating fully-vaccinated senior citizens and persons with comorbidities with additional doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccine by next week, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Tuesday.

“We are expecting also that our seniors and people with comorbidities, tignan natin baka next week, baka magsimula na rin tayo,” Galvez said in an interview on the arrival of 1.3 million Moderna doses.

(We may start vaccinating seniors and people with comorbidities by next week. We will see.)

“We are coordinating with NVOC (National Vaccine Operations Center), na isabay-sabay na natin para at least tumaas ang ating vaccination to 1.5 million,” he added.

(We are coordinating with the National Vaccine Operations Center to conduct the vaccination simultaneously so our vaccination will rise to 1.5 million.)

The Department of Health on Monday evening announced that fully-vaccinated healthcare workers may get booster shots starting Wednesday, November 17.

The agency recommended using Moderna, Pfizer, and Sinovac as booster doses regardless of the brand used in the primary series.

However, Galvez said vaccine-makers have recommended using the same brands for booster doses.

“Meron silang leeway, but we are recommending na kung ano ‘yung available, ayun ‘yung i-take nila. Pero nakita natin ‘yung sa nilabas na real-world data lahat ng vaccines naman effective,” he said.

(They have some leeway, but we are recommending using whatever is available. Based on the real-world data, all the vaccines are effective.)

The National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) is expected to release the guidelines on booster shots on Tuesday.

Booster shots are given when immunity is starting to wane off after several months since receiving the vaccine while additional doses, or the third doses, are given to individuals who cannot mount the appropriate immunity against the sickness.

Galvez said the Philippines has administered 70 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and expressed confidence that 54 million Filipinos would have received one dose before December.

"With our current pace and the eagerness of all sectors of society to hit and sustain a daily jab rate of 1.5 million, we are confident that by the end of November, half of our target population will be fully vaccinated," Galvez said.

He said vaccine doses arriving in December will be allotted for booster shots and for the remaining first and second doses for the first quarter of 2022.

“‘Yun na yung ating naka-allocate for this year. And then ‘yung December na darating, it will be allocated for the first quarter boostering and also yung ating remaining first doses and second doses,” he said.

(This is allocated for this year. And then vaccines that will arrive in December will be allocated for the first quarter boostering and also for the remaining vaccination of first and second doses.)

Japan, US donate freezers

Meanwhile, Galvez also announced that the United States donated more than 40 ultra-cold freezers to Pagadian City where at least 148,678 doses were damaged during a fire that hit the Provincial Health Office.

“I would also like to announce that the US Forces in the south also provided beds and also the ultra-cold freezer,” he said.

Japan, meanwhile, donated solar-powered freezers that may be used in Mimaropa, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, Galvez said.

“I would also like to thank the Government of Japan, also for providing us more than 42 freezers, which are solar-powered freezers,” he said.

On Monday, the country logged 1,547 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the nationwide tally to 2,818,511 and active cases to 27,025. —KBK, GMA News