Only those who received the Sputnik Light and Janssen coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines during their primary vaccination are allowed to get a booster dose three months after, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Sunday.
“Meron pong dalawang bakuna, yung Janssen at saka yung Sputnik Light na mga single dose na maaari na pong mag-booster three months after (There are two vaccines---the single shot vaccines Janssen and Sputnik Light. Those who received them may already avail the booster shot three months after the ),” said FDA Director-General Rolando Enrique Domingo in an interview over radio DZBB.
The recipients of the single shot vaccines Sputnik Light and Janssen can choose AstraZeneca, Pfizer, or Moderna as their booster dose.
Meanwhile, the recipients of other vaccine brands such as Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Sputnik V should get their booster shot six months after receiving their second dose.
“Yung ibang mga bakuna natin, yung mga double dose, sa ngayon po ang ating experts— ang pinapayagan ay six months after (For the other vaccines, which require double doses, our experts allowed the administration of booster shots six months after),” said Domingo.
On Dec. 10, the Department of Health (DOH) said it is studying the possibility if COVID-19 vaccine booster shots can be given three months after the second dose of the primary vaccination.
READ: Gov’t studying to provide COVID-19 booster jabs 3 months after 2nd vax dose
Based on current evidence, the efficacy of vaccines starts to wane six months after completing the primary vaccination, Domingo said.
“Doon pa lang naman nakikita na nagwe-wane o bumababa yung effect ng mga primary vaccination at sa ngayon, ayun ang nakikita talaga nating magandang timing para magbigay ng booster (It's only at that point we can see that the effect of primary vaccination starts to wane. Currently, we see that is the best time to give a booster shot) ,” he said.
Domingo said it is best to inoculate first those people who have yet to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
“Kasi nakikita natin na maganda pa ang proteksyon talaga until six months after. At before that ay hindi tayo nagmamadali na magbigay ng booster. In fact, mas nagmamadali tayo na mabigyan dapat ng bakuna ang 50 percent ng mga Pilipino na wala pa kahit isang bakuna. Siguro mag-concentrate muna tayo doon sa unvaccinated (The protection from vaccines is still good until six months after. And before that, we are not in a rush to provide a booster dose. In fact, we are more in a hurry to vaccinate 50 percent of Filipinos who have yet to receive a vaccine. Maybe we should concentrate on the unvaccinated first),” he said.