MANILA, Philippines — Healthcare workers are allowed to choose the brand of their booster shot, the Department of Health said Wednesday as the government began the administration of booster doses.
"The priority group A1 may choose to receive the same brand as his/her primary series (homologous booster) or another brand (heterologous booster)," the DOH said in Memorandum Order 0484, which sets the interim operational guidelines on the administration of booster doses.
This depends on the availability of vaccine brands in the vaccination sites.
Health workers can receive a booster shot six months after getting their second dose. If they got the single-shot Janssen, they can receive a booster after three months.
Below is the recommended booster dose combinations.
Fully vaccinated healthcare workers are now eligible for booster shots starting today, November 17! pic.twitter.com/FKDkMdBqrk
— Department of Health (@DOHgovph) November 17, 2021
The DOH said those who received mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna are not recommended to receive old vaccine platforms such as inactivated jabs. Sinovac is an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine.
"Vector-based vaccines (e.g. AstraZeneca) are recommended to be boosted with a different vaccine platform, due to the theoretical possibility of pre-existing immunity attenuating or weakening the immune response on the second or third dose," the agency also said.
Vaccine recipients who had adverse reactions after getting jabbed are advised to consult their attending physician for the recommended boosting strategy.
Since March, 32.21 million Filipinos have completed vaccination against COVID-19, while 39.4 million have received partial protection.