Bivalent jabs now open to immune compromised

MANILA, Philippines — Immunocompromised individuals (A3 category) can now receive bivalent COVID-19 vaccines, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa announced yesterday.

Apart from immunocompromised individuals, health care workers and senior citizens with only one booster dose can also receive the bivalent jabs as their second booster, Herbosa added.

Bivalent vaccines were only given to health workers and senior citizens as a third booster.

In a radio interview, the Department of Health chief said they decided to roll out these bivalent jabs to those in the A3 category to speed up the utilization of the 390,000 doses of the vaccines, which are set to expire on Aug. 30.

The country started giving bivalent COVID-19 shots to health care workers on June 21.

It was on June 3 when the country received a total of 391,860 doses of COVID-19 Pfizer bivalent vaccines donated by Lithuania.