FDA approves mix-and-match trial of COVID-19 vaccines

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the clinical trial for mixing and matching of different COVID-19 vaccine brands, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said Friday.

"FDA approved it last November 16, and the enlisting of participants is ongoing," DOST Undersecretary Rowena Guevarra said during the Laging Handa briefing.

"This will help in determining the best combination for vaccines as we start giving booster shots," she added.

The government has already approved the administration of booster shots to health workers.

The Department of Health earlier gave the go-signal for the use of Sinovac, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca as vaccine boosters.

Of these brands, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca could be used as heterologous booster or combined with two doses of Sinovac, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V as well as one-dose Jannsen.

Sinovac, on the other hand, can only be used as a booster for those who received Sinovac.

"The mix-and match trial would help us see if there will be breakthrough infection even after having a booster shot, and this will help the Department of Health in updating their recommendation for the interval [between the last dose and] for booster shot," Guevarra added.

At least 30.4 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to date.

This is still way behind the target of fully vaccinating 80% of the country's 109 million population come May 9, 2022.

The Philippines is eyeing to administer 15 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from November 29 to December 1 to ramp up vaccination efforts.—LDF, GMA News