DOH allows second booster for general public

MANILA, Philippines — In the next days, all healthy adults nationwide may start getting second booster shots against COVID-19.

Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire yesterday announced that experts have already given the go-signal for the second booster of COVID-19 vaccine to the general population.

Vergeire said the DOH is finalizing the necessary guidelines for the giving of second booster jabs to healthy people aged 18 years and above.

“As soon as we have released our guidelines that might be in the next couple of days, anyone can go to vaccination sites to receive booster shots,” she said in a mix of Filipino and English at a press briefing.

She noted that the Health Technology Assessment Council and the Food and Drug Administration had approved the use of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines as booster shots.

The health official gave assurance that the country has a sufficient supply of vaccines for the second booster immunization of the general population.

The increasing COVID-19 cases in some areas in the country have nothing to do with the approval of second booster shots, Vergeire said.

She stressed that giving second boosters to the general population would strengthen efforts to prevent severe cases and deaths due to the virus.

Cases up

Meanwhile, the daily COVID-19 cases nationwide could reach over 600 by mid-May, according to the DOH.

Vergeire said COVID-19 cases are increasing in some parts of the country.

“We can have 289 up to 611 cases daily by May 15 based on the latest projection,” she said, adding that cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) are projected to hit a minimum of 30 cases to a high of 122 by May 15.

She said the DOH observed an increase in COVID-19 cases in the NCR and some Mindanao areas.

Despite the increasing cases, she said ICU and severe/critical admissions nationally have been on a plateau since early February with the health care utilization rate remaining low risk.

She further noted that deaths due to the infection remain low.

DOH data indicated a 13 percent jump in the number of COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated individuals in March compared to the previous month’s figure.

She urged the public to get vaccinated and still comply with the minimum public health standards as a protection against the virus.

Vaccine, she said, is still effective against all COVID-19 variants.

As of March, 23.8 million individuals have received their first booster while 4.4 million got second booster shots, Vergeire said.

Related video: