An official of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) on Friday reminded the medical front-line workers of the mandatory interval in getting their coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) booster shot.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH-7 chief pathologist, issued this reminder as the national government announced the start of booster jabs for the front-liners in hospitals and clinics to bolster their protection.
“What’s important is that you have six months since your primary series before you can get your booster doses. For Johnson and Johnson jabs, you have at least three months from the initial, single-dose,” Loreche said in a presser.
As of October 12, all 131,989 healthcare workers in the region were listed as fully vaccinated.
However, Loreche explained that the majority of the medical front-liners need to wait for the exact six-month interval before they can get the booster jab.
“Those who received their primary series of Covid-19 vaccines in March to May this year are now eligible for booster shots,” she said.
The regional pathologist assured there are enough allocations for booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines, stressing that “this is the reason why it is limited first to the A1.1 to A1.7 (front-liners).”
The family or household members under the expanded groups of A1 sector will not be included as yet, she added.
“According to the guidelines, yes, they can choose a different platform different from their primary series but for A2 (seniors) to A3 (adults with comorbidities), we have to wait for the final guidelines,” she said.
Loreche explained that those who receive Sinovac as their primary series of inoculation must strictly follow the “homologous booster” which means using the same platform or vaccine brand as that of their initial doses.
Some vaccinees can follow the heterologous booster which means that they can get a platform of the booster different from the primary series.
Source: Philippines News Agency
