PRRD endorses booster shots; 2-dose vax clip an ‘old video’

MANILA – No less than President Rodrigo Duterte underscored the importance of getting a coronavirus booster shot to control the spread of the Omicron variant, Malacañang said Tuesday.

The statement came after an old video of the chief executive saying that two doses of Covid-19 vaccine were enough had resurfaced on social media.

Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said the video was recorded back on September 20, 2021 at a time when the administration of booster shots was not yet approved in the country.

“Mismong si Pangulong Duterte ang nagbigay diin noong Disyembre hinggil sa halaga ng booster shots lalo na sa pagkontrol ng pagkalat ng nakakahawang Omicron variant (President Duterte himself stressed last December 2021 that booster shots are important to control the transmission of the infectious Omicron variant),” he said in a Palace briefing.

The old video was shot when the country’s main priority was to administer the primary series or the first two vaccine doses to as many people as possible, he added.

“Malayo na ang pagkakaiba ng sitwasyon natin ngayon sa konteksto ng bakunahan sa ating bansa noong Setyembre. Una, marami na tayong bakuna. Pangalawa, inaprubahan na ng pamahalaan ang paggamit ng booster doses sa mga fully vaccinated bilang pagsunod sa rekomendasyon ng ating health workers (The status of our vaccination from September last year has changed. First, we already have enough supply of vaccines. Second, booster doses are already approved for the fully vaccinated based on the recommendation of our health workers),” he said.

READ: Look at Duterte’s old video in proper context: Palace

“We reiterate our call for the public to be wary of information regarding Covid-19 that does not come from credible sources, makinig tayo sa mga medical expert, hindi sa mga marites (Let us listen to our medical experts, not the marites),” he added, referring to a slang that refers to people who like to spread rumors.

The Department of Health, last December 21, 2021, approved the administration of booster shots on adults at least three months after they received their second dose, or at least two months after the primary single-dose vaccine is given.

The World Health Organization had also endorsed “broader access globally” to current Covid-19 vaccines for primary series and booster doses amid the spread of Omicron variant across and “in the hope that this also mitigates the emergence and impact of new variants of concern”.