DOH studies benefits of 3rd booster, bivalent jabs as add’l dose

FILE: An elderly man receives his 2nd booster shot against Covid-19 at the Marikina City Mega Vaccination Facility. (PNA photo by Rico H. Borja)

MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) is still looking into pieces of evidence showing the benefits of administering a third booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccine.

In a media briefing on Friday, DOH officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the government ensures the effectiveness and safety of Covid-19 vaccines, especially for the vulnerable population through the studies by the country’s health experts.

“Pero kailangan tanggalin natin sa isip natin, even though there are a lot of vaccines still there in our warehouses, the original ones ay kailangan na natin magbigay kahit wala pang ebidensya (But we need to remove from our thinking, even though there are a lot of vaccines still there in our warehouses, the original ones, we need to administer them despite lack of evidence),” she said.

In Australia, health authorities have recommended against the administration of a third booster shot of Covid-19 vaccine despite reported increase in new infections there.

This, after an evidence from Singapore showed that severe cases and deaths among the fully vaccinated during the recent spike in cases and a third booster shot provided minimal effect on the transmission of coronavirus.

“In terms of giving the third boosters after the second booster, ang tinitingnan ho natin ngayon (what we’re looking at now) would be this incoming or this second generational vaccines, if we can provide this vulnerable population for the immunocompromised and the healthcare workers,” she added.

Earlier, the DOH said the Health Technology Assessment Council has started the initial discussions on Moderna’s bivalent vaccine against Covid-19.

Moderna has committed to deliver their jabs as early as November or December.