Almost half of Philippine health workers yet to get boosters vs. COVID-19

Almost half of the healthcare workers who are fully vaccinated have not yet received their COVID-19 booster shots, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Friday.

At a media forum, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said at least 95% of the country’s healthcare workers were fully vaccinated. However, half of them have yet to receive their booster doses.

“So sa ngayon ang ating mga healthcare workers mataas ang bakunahan natin para sa primary series for them ano, sa ating healthcare workers almost 95% accomplishment tayo na nabakunahan natin halos lahat for their primary series,” Vergeire said.

(So right now our healthcare workers have a high percentage of vaccination for the primary series. Almost 95% accomplished,we have vaccinated almost all of them in their primary series.)

“Pero dito sa booster doses we are only have an accomplishment of 49.07% so ibig sabihin kalahati doon sa bilang ng ating mga healthcare workers ay hindi pa nabibigyan ng booster doses,” she added.

(However, in booster doses we only have an accomplishment of 49.07%, so that means half of that number of healthcare workers have not been given booster doses yet.)

The jabbing of booster shots for fully vaccinated healthcare workers started in November last year

The DOH recommended that health workers use either Moderna, Pfizer, and Sinovac as booster doses regardless of the brand used for the primary series of vaccination based on the emergency use authorization issued by the Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Anna Ong Lim, chief of the DOH’s Technical Advisory Group Pediatric Infectious Diseases, said the decrease in COVID-19 infections could be a factor in the low rate of booster dose inoculation.

She, however, encouraged the public especially the healthcare workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities to get their booster shots while the COVID-19 infections in the country was still low.

“I think the message to everybody, particularly to those who are at high risk like those with occupational exposure, health workers, seniors or those with comorbidities, let us take advantage of this lull," Lim said.

“Nag-aantay lang ‘yan ng puwang at susubok siyang makalusot and anytime na meron siyang mahanap na pool of susceptible na pwedeng mahawaan ay napakabilis ng kumalat,” she added.

(The virus is just waiting for a space and it will try to get through and anytime it can find a pool of susceptible that can be infected it spreads very fast.)

Meanwhile, Vergeire said the DOH was still waiting for the assessment of the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) for giving the second booster shots to senior citizens and healthcare workers. —NB, GMA News