DOH sees rollout of fourth COVID vaccine dose in late April
MANILA, Philippines — A fourth coronavirus vaccine shot may be coming into the arms of some Filipinos late next month, according to a Department of Health official overseeing the country’s vaccination drive.
“We will begin this once the EUA (emergency use authorization) and the guidelines are approved. So we’re estimating that maybe we can start in the last week of April,” DOH undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said Saturday partly in Filipino in a briefing aired over state-run People’s Television.
Cabotaje said experts are recommending that a fourth vaccine dose be given to “high-risk and vulnerable groups,” which include frontline healthcare workers, senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals.
For now, the DOH has applied with the Food and Drug Administration for an amendment to the EUA of selected vaccines which can be given as a fourth dose, or essentially a second booster shot.
Countries including France, Germany and Sweden as well as health authorities in England have recommended a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose for the most vulnerable, including the elderly, who are at higher risk for severe illness from the disease.
Australia on Friday became the latest country to offer a fourth vaccine dose to people aged 65 and above, as a subvariant of Omicron races through the population.
The country’s technical advisory group on immunization said Pfizer and Moderna were the preferred vaccines for the extra booster shot.
But there was as yet "insufficient evidence" of the benefits of a fourth dose for other groups in the broader population, it said in a statement. — Xave Gregorio with AFP
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