No vaccine booster shots yet for public, says Roque
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque on Tuesday, August 24, reminded the public that the government has not approved booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine because a majority of Filipinos haven’t had their first doses yet.
The Palace official asked those already fully vaccinated not to deprive their fellowmen of the right to access the said vaccine.
“Tandaan din natin na wala pong booster muna ha. Marami pa po tayong mga kababayan ang kailangan mabakunahan... Maawa naman po tayo sa kanila (Let us also remember that there is no booster yet. Many of our countrymen are still need to ba vaccinated...Have mercy on them),” Roque said in his virtual presser.
The Philippines, he added, should vaccinate everyone who is eligible to get the vaccine before boosters begin.
Roque promised that COVID-19 vaccine boosters are included in the proposed national budget for 2022 since the government allocated P45 billion for the procurement of more vaccines for the booster program.
READ: Gov’t allots P45B for vaccine purchase in 2022
There are no conclusive studies yet on how long the COVID-19 vaccines last, though some experts believe people will need a booster shot in six months after being fully vaccinated with Sinovac, eight months for Pfizer, and a year for AstraZeneca.
In the United States, medical frontliners and those with existing medical conditions will receive booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines starting this September.
“Ubusin muna po natin ang hanay ng ating kababayan. Bakunahan natin ang lahat bago tayo mag-isip ng booster at kasama naman po yan sa budget ng susunod na taon (Let’s finish vaccinating all our fellowmen. Let us vaccinate them before we thinking about booster and that is already included in the budget for next year),” Roque said.
READ: Here's why it's better to take a COVID-19 booster shot in 2022
The spokesperson reminded the public that all vaccines are proven to be effective and safe.
As of August 23, Roque noted that 30,693,019 doses of various COVID-19 vaccines have already been administered. Of that number, 13,197,689 are fully vaccinated while the rest only had their first dose.
He again urged the public to get their COVID-19 jabs.
“Piliin natin na protektahan ang ating sarili at ating pamilya. Magpabakuna na po tayo ha (Let us choose to protect ourselves and our families. Let us get vaccinated),” he said.
On Wednesday, August 25, the government expects the arrival of 362,700 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine while three million Sinovac doses will arrive before the month ends.