4 COVID-19 vaccines approved for boosters, additional doses — FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the amended emergency use authorization of four COVID-19 vaccines for booster shots and additional doses.

“Ito po ‘yung Pfizer, ‘yun pong Sinovac, ito pong AstraZeneca, pati po ‘yung Sputnik light,” FDA director-general Eric Domingo said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB on Tuesday.

(These are Pfizer, Sinovac, AstraZeneca, and the Sputnik light.)

Domingo said the Department of Health (DOH) had also asked the FDA to check different vaccine combinations.

“Halimbawa, iba ‘yung nabigay na primary tapos iba ‘yung ibibigay na booster… pwede rin ‘yan, so ni-rekomenda din ng expert sa atin ‘yung mga ilang pwedeng gamitin na iba ‘yung primary tapos iba rin ‘yung booster,” Domingo said.

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.

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

Meanwhile, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said the country may start inoculating fully-vaccinated senior citizens and persons with comorbidities with additional doses by next week.

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. — RSJ, GMA News