A total of 63 million individuals in the Philippines have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but only 10 million individuals have so far received their booster jab, said National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 special adviser Dr. Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa on Tuesday, March 1.
Herbosa, in an ANC interview, reiterated the importance of a booster jab despite having been “fully immunized” against the disease.
“The idea of the booster is to just increase your immunity. You already have immunity. Let me make that clear: if you are fully vaccinated, your immunity does not disappear but your antibodies actually wane. That’s why the booster shot stimulates your immune system to produce more antibodies against COVID-19,” said Herbosa.
He also added that while it stimulates the immune system in producing more antibodies, it actually gives “additional protection” against the disease and its emerging variants.
Meanwhile, Herbosa disclosed that the booster inoculation is one of the “slow parts” of the country’s vaccination program.
“Kailangan magpa-booster ha. If you have been fully vaccinated, you should get boosted . This is another slow part of our vaccination program. We’ve vaccinated 63 million but only 10 million have come forward to get their booster shots. Reminder to the public na hindi enough ang two doses, kailangan kumuha rin tayo ng third dose (We need to get boosted. If you have been fully vaccinated, you should get boosted as well. This is another slow part of our vaccination program. We’ve vaccinated 63 million but only 10 million have come forward to get their booster shots. I just want to remind the public that two doses are not enough, we need to get boosted),” he added.
The Department of Health’s (DOH) National COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard showed that as of Feb. 21, a total of 63,188,209 individuals in the country have been fully vaccinated against the disease. Meanwhile, only 10,137,607 have received their booster jab.