Recommendation on expansion of second COVID-19 booster dose may be out this week –Duque

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday said the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) may release its recommendation on the expansion of the administration of second COVID-19 booster shot to other groups by Thursday or Friday.

During a Go Negosyo forum, Duque said HTAC will continue this week its assessment of the data by the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, and the United Kingdom Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to further determine the effects of a second booster jab against COVID-19.

“Siguro by Thursday or Friday baka magkaron na tayo ng positive recommendation from the HTAC. Pero hindi ko naman sila pwedeng pangunahan [Maybe by Thursday or Friday we might receive a positive recommendation from the HTAC]. I do not wish to preempt the HTAC with whatever recommendations they will come up with and submit to the Office of the Secretary,” he said.

“Makaasa po kayo na palalawigin pa natin ang coverage ng second booster dose policy [We assure you that we will extend the coverage of the second booster dose policy],” Duque added.

The government has started the administration of the second COVID-19 booster shot for the immunocompromised population in the National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday, April 25, 2022.

So far, the FDA has only granted the emergency use authorization for the second booster shot for senior citizens, the immunocompromised, and frontline health workers.

Booster incentives

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, for his part, said he has been talking with several business establishments regarding providing incentives to those who have already received their booster shots so that more people would be encouraged to take it.

“We have to preserve it and I was discussing with some of the business establishments that maybe we can motivate the people to take the boosters by giving them incentives. Hopefully, it works,” he said.

Based on the DOH’s national COVID-19 vaccination dashboard, at least 12.9 million Filipinos have received booster shots.

Concepcion said that with the fear now gone among the Filipinos in regards to COVID-19, the complacency in observance of minimum public health standards could be detrimental to the country soon.

He then underscored the importance of maintaining the wall of immunity by taking the booster shot, on top of the primary vaccine series, so that the public could continue to enjoy their freedom of movement and ensure that the economy will continue to grow.

“We hope to see that we continue to maintain this wall of immunity. I think it’s very important that we do because we don’t want to go back to Alert Level 3 that will really destroy the renewed hope and enthusiasm of our entrepreneurs as they have seen their lives and businesses coming back. We don’t want to break that momentum,” Concepcion said. —KBK, GMA News