Rollout of 2nd Covid-19 booster shot for immunocompromised individuals to start on April 25—DOH

The country will start administering the second Covid-19 vaccine booster shot for immunocompromised individuals on April 25, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
“Sa Lunes, April 25, 2022—magtuturok na po tayo ng second booster dose shots para sa 18-years-old and above na immunocompromised (On Monday, April 25, 2022 — we will begin administering second booster shots for 18-years-old and above who are immunocompromised),” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a press briefing on Friday, April 22.
“Nationwide po ang ating rollout na nakadepende sa kahandaan ng kani-kanilang mga lokal na pamahalaan (The rollout will be nationwide depending on the readiness of their respective local governments),” she added.
Vergeire said they can receive their second booster shot “as early as three months after their third dose” or first booster shot.
The vaccine brands that will be used for the second booster shot are AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.
Earlier, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III defined immunocompromised people as those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, cancer patients, transplant patients, and individuals taking immunosuppressive medicines, among others.
Duque also said that the provision of second booster doses for senior citizens and healthcare workers is still under evaluation by the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC).
“So, nauna at mas kumpleto ang mga ebidensya na hawak ng HTAC for the immunocompromised—so, minabuti ng Kagawaran ng Kalusugan na iuna na natin kasi natapos na ang HTAC doon kesa idedelay natin lahat (So, the evidence for the immunocompromised individuals which was evaluated by HTAC was completed— so, the Department of Health decided to roll it out for this sector rather than delaying its implementation),” explained Vergeire.
“Kasunod na rin ang senior citizens at healthcare workers. Kinukumpleto lang po ang assessment, maybe by next week tayo ay makakapaglabas na rin ng rekomendasyon at tayo at pwede na rin natin umpisahan in the next week (The senior citizens and healthcare workers will follow soon. We are just completing the assessment. Maybe next week, we will be able to issue a recommendation and we can start next week),” she added.