The City Information Office (CIO) in its report has quoted Dr. Josephine Villafuerte, head of the COVID-19 vaccination cluster saying all the vaccines, whether for homologous or heterologous jabs, are available for the second booster dose.
She said the vaccination teams who will administer the second booster dose are also ready in all vaccination sites where adult vaccinations are being conducted.
The report said that the administration of the second booster is based on the guidelines issued by the National Vaccine Operation Center (NVOC) on April 22, 2022, as a “public health response to mitigate COVID-19 transmission, especially in light of the continued emergence of Variants of Concern (VOC) and the gradual reopening of social institutions in consideration of the current COVID-19 vaccine supplies, projections, logistics, and other significant factors in the vaccination roll-out”.
Under the guidelines, the eligible individuals for the second booster dose are the immunocompromised population, 18 years old and above, regardless of priority group.
These individuals include active cancer or malignancy, transplant recipients; undergoing steroid treatment; patients with poor prognosis/bedridden patients; and, other conditions of immunodeficiency as certified by a physician.
The second booster dose shall be administered at least three months after the third dose or first booster dose.
Eligible individuals may choose to receive a homologous or a heterologous second booster dose depending on the availability of vaccine brands at the vaccination site.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the vaccine brands for 2nd dose boosters such as Pfizer, Moderna, Sinovac, Sinopharm, and AstraZeneca.
Photo from Davao City Government
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