March 29, 2024

The country’s vaccine expert panel (VEP) has recommended the administration of the first booster dose for children ages 12 to 17 years old as face-to-face classes would start soon.
“Actually, meron na rin kaming rekomendasyon nai-submit sa  Food and Drug Administration pero nasa  Health Technology Assessment Council pa ulit ‘yung ating final decision and recommendation especially ‘yung for 12 to 17,” VEP Chairperson, Dr. Nina Gloriani said.
Earlier, Health Usec. Maria Rosario Vergeire said about 9.1 million adolescents are fully vaccinated while 1.5 million children ages five to 11 years old are fully vaccinated as of April 18.
“Wala talaga ‘yung para sa five to 11,” Gloriani said.
Since the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines waned over time, Gloriani said booster shots would provide an extra layer of protection especially for those directly exposed to the virus and protection against potential surge of infections.
The neutralizing antibodies of fully vaccinated individuals are expected to come back or increase five to seven days after the administration of a booster shot. For some people, it takes only two to three days, Gloriani said.
“As for those eligible for a second booster dose, it should be four months after the first (booster) dose,” she added.
The National Vaccination Operations Center said more than 66.9 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and 12,687,684 million have received their first booster shot as of April 18.  – PNA