DOH, experts discuss redefinition of COVID-19 full vaccination
MANILA, Philippines — Health officials and experts are discussing the proposal to redefine the meaning of full vaccination, an official said Monday.
There are calls to redefine the term “fully vaccinated” to include booster dose due to the slow uptake of additional shots.
“We are set to redefine these fully vaccinated individuals. But right now, we are still discussing this with our experts as to how we are going to have this validity for our vaccination cards so that we can be able to improve further our booster vaccination,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
Vergeire noted that other countries did not redefine the meaning of “fully vaccinated” and just used the term “up to date.” In the United States, an individual is considered up to date after getting their first booster.
“Whenever we do this redefinition of fully vaccinated, there are a lot of things, like our protocols, that will be affected,” Vergeire said.
“Say for example, the alert level system, you need a fully vaccinated target of individuals that you need to attain so you can be deescalated. If we shift to this kind of definition, the alert level system will be affected. Therefore, a lot of areas will be escalated to Alert Level 2,” she explained.
According to the health official, the topic of redefining full vaccination will be discussed in Tuesday’s IATF meeting.
Latest data showed that more than 66.6 million Filipinos have completed vaccination against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, only over 12.4 million individuals of 44 million eligible recipients have gotten booster shots.
A new thread on the Philippines' vaccination program in 2021 in the government's revised objective to reach "population protection." Bookmark our COVID-19 and Vaccination Dashboard for the latest figures on the pandemic in the Philippines. — Main image: The STAR/Michael Varcas, file
The city government of Valenzuela City announces that it is temporarily suspending the use of Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 vaccines as they wait for more vaccine supplies.
ADVISORY: Pansamantalang inihinto ang pagbabakuna ng Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 vaccine sa Valenzuela habang naghihintay ng karagdagang supply. (????: Valenzuela LGU) pic.twitter.com/j4yO52jgMN
— PTVph (@PTVph) August 7, 2023
Pasig City government announces the schedule of COVID-19 vaccination in the city from July 15 until July 28.
It advises residents that first, second dose and first and 2nd booster shots are available on a first come, first serve basis in its designated vaccination sites.
Among the available vaccine brands is Sinovac for 6 years old and above. It adds that there are no Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines yet for residents age 12 and above.
Schedule ng Pagbabakuna sa Pasig City |07/25/2023-07/28/2023 | First Come, First Served Basis
— Pasig Info (@PasigInfo) July 24, 2023
Tingnan ang material para sa vaccination sites kung saan makakapagpa - 1st at 2nd dose, at 1st at 2nd booster shot; at kung ano ang mga dapat dalhin sa araw ng pagbabakuna
1/3 pic.twitter.com/yqKG0S41CM
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to lead the rollout of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccination at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City. — The STAR/Helen Flores
President Marcos will lead the launch of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccination at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City on Wednesday morning. (Photo courtesy of MPC pool) | @helenmflores pic.twitter.com/wbB2An7xgg
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) June 21, 2023
The Department of Health reminds public that they can still avail of the COVID-19 booster and bivalent booster. It reposted an infographic that determines when it is best to get the first two boosters and the bivalent booster.
Senior citizens and frontline health workers may now get their second booster shots, particularly mRNA jabs such as Moderna and Pfizer, the Department of Health announces. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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