Private sector eyes Covid-19 booster shots

MANILA – The private sector has in the pipeline the provision of booster shots for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines but will prioritize giving the vaccines to those who are not yet vaccinated.

In a television interview Friday, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said since the private sector’s “A Dose of Hope” program has procured AstraZeneca vaccines, the next round of shots will be needed by July next year.

Published data showed that the AstraZeneca vaccine provides the longest protection against severe Covid-19, lasting up to one year.

“Yes, it (booster shot) is in the pipeline but now there are still Filipinos that are unvaccinated. The priority of the vaccines arriving is for these people,” he said.

Concepcion led the “A Dose of Hope” program, providing 17 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines for employees of participating companies and will also be donated to the government.

Other companies also purchased 7 million doses of Moderna vaccines, bringing the total Covid-19 vaccines from the private sector to 24 million.

These vaccines started to arrive last month and will be arriving until February or March next year, he said.

For the donated vaccines of the private sector to the government, Concepcion noted that vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. told him that the companies could directly donate it to local government units in need of the Covid-19 shots.