By Ma. Teresa Montemayor | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The country has sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines should the Food and Drug Administration approve the administration of a second booster shot by the last week of April, a health official said Tuesday.
“We will not have problems kung mag-second booster or fourth dose. Ang nasa stock natin, marami pa tayong AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Pfizer and Moderna and a few other donations,” National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) chair Myrna Cabotaje said in a televised public briefing.
The challenge is to administer the existing vaccine supplies as there are some brands that are about to expire, she added.
As of April 12, a total of 144.3 million vaccines have been administered. About 66.7 million individuals are fully vaccinated and 12.5 million have received their booster shots.
To encourage more people to be protected against COVID-19, the NVOC has strengthened its social advocacy by holding town hall meetings and deploying social mobilizers, specifically in areas with low vaccination turnout.
Cabotaje said the Department of Health has proposed to the Inter Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases the inclusion of booster dose in the definition of fully vaccinated to push eligible individuals to get boosted.
“Pinag-aaralan pa pero ang ginagamit na termino ay up to date vaccination to include the primary dose and the booster dose at ito ay ire-require o prioritize ‘yung mga frontline and customer service personnel, then the entry for indoor establishment activities, then the international travels for both foreigners and Filipinos,” she added. (PNA)-gb
