According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Philippines may start administering booster shots to the A4 priority group or economic frontliners on December 10, National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Sunday.
“Mayroon kaming apat na milestone. The first milestone natin is makuha natin ang 54 million before the end of the year and then maybe we will start the booster also this year, more or less mga December 10 baka magsimula na tayo sa A4 lalo na ‘yung nag-elapse na ng more than six months,” Galvez said during The Virtual Presser.
A medical worker of the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center in Angeles City gets her booster shot against COVID-19. (Photo / Provided by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Angeles City government)
(We have four milestones. The first milestone is to inoculate 54 million individuals before the end of the year and then maybe we will start the booster also this year, more or less December 10 we can start with the A4, especially those whose vaccines are already beyond six months.)
Currently, booster doses are administered to the A1 to A3 priority groups which are composed of health workers, senior citizens, and select immunocompromised individuals.
Among the qualified immunocompromised individuals to receive a booster shot are those with immunodeficiency states, people with human immunodeficiency (HIV) virus, active cancer or malignancy, transplant patients, and patients under immunosuppressive treatments.
Meanwhile, to reach the goal of immunizing 54 million Filipinos by the end of the year, the government will launch a second national vaccination drive on December 15 to 17.
The first three-day national vaccination drive will be from November 29 to December 1. The government is targeting to administer 9 million jabs in the event, lower than its initial target output of 15 million.
According to Galvez, the second milestone is to inoculate 77 million people by the end of the first quarter of 2022, ahead of the May national and local elections.
The third milestone, meanwhile, is to immunize 90 million individuals before the end of the second quarter.
Lastly, vaccinating the rest of the population by the end of the third quarter is the fourth milestone.
Further, the government is planning to give booster doses to the A1 to A3 priority groups by the end of the year amid the threat of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
