19M eligible for COVID-19 vax boosters after interval was lowered to 3 months —NVOC

Around 19 million individuals are estimated to be eligible for booster shots or additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines after the booster dose interval was lowered to three months, the National Vaccination Operations Center said Wednesday.

The Department of Health on Tuesday said booster shots may be given three months after the primary dose series for several vaccine brands and at least two months after the primary vaccination of the Janssen vaccine.

“With the shortened time period or the interval, we expect a lot will be due already for booster doses,” Dr. Kezia Lorraine Rosario of NVOC said at the Laging Handa public briefing.

“So estimate as of now based on our data, is around 19 million individuals are already due for booster/additional doses,” she added.

Rosario also assured that there are enough vaccines available.

“We calculated it already with the available vaccines we have. We have around 192 million doses of vaccines. These are enough for us to drive the vaccination of booster doses,” she said.

Meanwhile, while Filipinos may still choose their preferred brand for their booster shots, she urged them to get inoculated with whatever vaccine is available.

“Pero ‘yung request namin kung ano talaga ‘yung available sa vaccine site, kunin na nila at hindi pa tayo pipili pa ng kung anu-ano,” she said.

(But we request to please get whatever is available at the vaccine site and to not be picky.)

The country started administering booster shots to healthcare workers on November 17 while seniors and immunocompromised individuals started receiving boosters shots on November 22.

The government started administering booster shots to all fully vaccinated adults on December 3. —KG, GMA News