By John Noel E. Herrera
The Department of Health (DOH) gave the go-signal for administering of the second booster of the COVID-19 vaccine to the general population to prevent the escalation of cases.
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire noted that the Health Technology Assessment Council and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had already approved the use of Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines as booster shots.
On Wednesday, April 18, 2023, the DOH released the guidelines, stating that the general adult population can now receive their second booster shots at least six months after receiving their first.
The guidelines also stated that healthcare workers aged 50 and above and persons with comorbidity can get their second booster shots after more than three months if they will be inoculated with AstraZeneca and four months if Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.
Immunocompromised adults, on the other hand, can continue to acquire their second booster jabs after more than three months from their first one, while booster shots are not yet allowed for kids under 12 years old.
The second booster immunization was previously only administered to healthcare workers, people at least 50 years old, adults with comorbidities, and adults who are immunocompromised.
Vergeire also assured the public that the country has a sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines that will be used for the general public’s second booster shots.
In Western Visayas, the DOH-6 said that they would deliver over 80,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine (over 36 doses for adults and over 44 doses for pediatrics) to the entire health offices in the region.
DOH-6 noted that the Negros Occidental Provincial Health Office (PHO) had already received over 10,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine for adults, while the Bacolod City Health Office (CHO) received more than 2,000 doses; Iloilo PHO (over 8,000 doses), and Iloilo CHO with more than 2,000 doses of vaccines.
For Pfizer vaccines (pediatric), Negros Occidental PHO received 12,000 doses; CHO Bacolod (4,500 doses); PHO Iloilo (10,000 doses), and CHO Iloilo received 3,000 doses.
The regional health agency also urged the public to get their booster shots against COVID-19 as the region and other areas in the country noted spikes in cases, especially among unvaccinated individuals.
DOH-6 data indicated that the daily average of COVID-19 cases in the region increased to 11 cases per day this month from only six cases per day in March 2023.
On Tuesday, April 18, 2023, DOH-6 recorded 24 new cases in the region, which include seven cases each in the city and province of Iloilo; four cases in Bacolod City; three cases in Aklan; two cases in Guimaras and one in Negros Occidental.
DOH-6 Infectious Disease Section chief Dr. Bea Camille Natalaray earlier admitted that the seven-day vaccination average in the region went down to only 300 to 400 jobs this year from over 1,000 administered vaccine doses last year.
In Iloilo province, PHO chief Dr. Maria Socorro Quiñon also emphasized the lower utilization of the COVID-19 vaccine with only 29 administered this month.
Quiñon added that there are currently 1.29 million individuals in the province who are fully vaccinated, but only 290,054 or 19.84 percent have received their first booster shots, while 25,216 or 1.73 percent got their second booster jabs.
