The Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) vaccine expert panel (VEP) is not yet recommending the mixing and matching of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines as well as the use of booster shots.
VEP head Dr. Nina Gloriani said they did not expect that some fully vaccinated individuals, including a public official would get booster shots amid the limited supply of COVID jabs in the country.
“Wala po tayong rekomendasyon dyan sa pag mi-mix and match sa atin at lalong walang recomendasyon para magbooster (We don’t have any recommendations for mix-and-match, and much more, there is no recommendation yet to receive booster shots),” she told the TeleRaydo in an interview.
She was reacting to reports that San Juan City Representative Ronaldo Zamora received two doses of Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine and two doses of Pfizer as booster shots.
“That is something na medyo taliwas sa ating inaasahan (That is something that is a bit contrary to our expectations),” she said.
She noted that the United Kingdom and Spain already have “interim data”, showing that the “antibody responses” of those vaccinated with AstraZeneca and Pfizer have increased.
Gloriani said the Philippine Society for Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology’s (PSAAI) study on the safety and efficacy of mixing and matching five COVID-19 vaccines will evaluate interchanging vaccine brands to complete the vaccination series, with Sinovac as the first dose.
The four other vaccine brands that will be used for the PSAAI study are Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna.
Related story: https://mb.com.ph/2021/06/03/mix-and-match-what-you-need-to-know-about-phs-study-on-covid-19-vaccine-mixing-matching/
The VEP chief advised those individuals who intend to get vaccinated with different COVID-19 vaccines to wait for the official recommendation of the Department of Health (DOH).
She reiterated over the weekend that they are not yet recommending booster shots because of the limited vaccine supply in the country.
Related stories: https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/09/dosts-expert-panel-carefully-studying-use-of-covid-19-vaccine-booster-shots/