Fully vaccinated health care workers can choose the COVID-19 vaccine brands—Sinovac, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna—as their booster shot, the Department of Health (DOH) said after it approved a heterologous (mixed brand) approach.
The approved booster shots for health care workers are a single dose of Pfizer, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca, and half the regular dose of a Moderna shot.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Eric Domingo has approved the amended emergency use authorization (EAU) given to the four COVID-19 vaccine brands to be used as booster shots and as an additional dose.
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, head of the National Vaccine Operations Center, said the vaccine booster would strengthen the health and morale of medical frontliners.
Most health care workers got China’s Sinovac vaccine—the first brand to arrive in the Philippines– when the government rolled out its vaccination program in March.
Fully vaccinated health care workers can receive only one booster shot. It should be given at least six months after they received Pfizer, Moderna, Sinovac, Sputnik V, or AstraZeneca vaccines.
However, if they received the single-shot Janssen vaccine, the booster shot can be administered three months after.
Booster shots are given to those whose immunity is going down over time after completing their first series.
This is based on the guidelines of the administration of booster doses to health workers, who are under the A1 priority group issued by the DOH.
The DOH has recommended using Pfizer or Moderna as a booster if the health worker got AstraZeneca as the first series.
It also said those who received AstraZeneca as their first two doses can receive the same brand as their booster, but it should be used with precaution based on the emergency use authorization granted by the Food and Drug Administration.
"Vector-based vaccines such as AstraZeneca are recommended to be boosted with a different vaccine platform due to the theoretical possibility of pre-existing immunity attenuating or weakening the immune response on the second or third dose," a DOH memorandum said.
The DOH issued the 15-page guidelines on the administration of booster doses for the A1 priority sector.
The agency said health workers should inform the vaccination site what brand they prefer, so it can be prepared in advance.
They can opt to use the same vaccine brand (homologous) or a different one (heterologous) from the initial series they received, but this will be based on the brand mixing approved by the government
The DOH rolled out the giving of booster shots for health workers beginning Nov. 17.
An infectious disease expert on Wednesday advised pregnant health care workers to choose a homologous booster vaccination against COVID-19 to reduce the likelihood of a possible adverse reaction.
Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, during a DOH town hall briefing, said that though she sees no issues with pregnant women receiving booster shots, she would advise choosing a homologous vaccination.
“Coming from the perspective that we are protecting occupational risk and considering that we are using inactivated vaccines, I would not expect any issues with pregnant women receiving a boost,” said Ong-Lim, chief of the DOH Infectious and Tropical Disease Section.
“On a personal note, I would probably advise homologous rather than a heterologous platform just to decrease the variables and decrease the likelihood of any adverse reactions,” she added.
She also advised the public to follow guidelines and refrain from getting boosters before the six-month period after completing their primary dose series.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the inoculation of senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals will follow.
The DOH also reminded health care workers to stick to its guidelines and receive only one additional dose.
"From the safety principle standpoint, we want to give the lowest possible dose that is effective, otherwise you raise the risk for reactions. We don't know what will happen to them, and that is why we say, please follow the guidelines," said Dr. Edsel Salvaña of the DOH Technical Advisory Group.
Getting a booster shot before the advised six months since the second dose is also highly discouraged, said Ong-Lim.
Vergeire said the EUA granted by the FDA only allows booster shots for three sectors: health care workers, seniors, and those with comorbidities.
Vergeire also clarified that "boosting is voluntary, as long as you have already gotten your first and second dose, you are already fully vaccinated," and thus are protected from severe and critical disease from COVID-19.
Also on Wednesday, the National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementor Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the best Christmas gift one can give their loved ones this holiday season is to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Get the COVID-19 jab now so we can have a better and safer Christmas,” he said in a news release.
About 3.5 million doses of Sinovac vaccine procured by the national government arrived Wednesday morning, moving closer to the goal of protecting more Filipinos by the end of the month.
In the past weeks, the Philippines has seen a steady delivery of vaccine supplies from various manufacturers.