MANILA (UPDATE)—Fully vaccinated Filipino adults may receive their COVID-19 booster shots beginning Friday, the Department of Health said.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said the rollout of booster shots was expanded to include essential workers (A4) and indigent Filipinos (A5). The DOH in a later statement said the rollout will include all Filipinos aged 18 and above.

"All fully vaccinated adults are eligible to receive COVID-19 booster shots starting tomorrow, December 3," it said.

"Those who have completed their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines can be inoculated with the following brands (Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer) regardless of which vaccines taken in the first two doses," it added.

Government has so far rolled out additional COVID-19 jabs to health workers, senior citizens, and immunocompromised individuals.

The National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) will release its target date for the rollout within the "next two days," its chairperson Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said.

"Anytime that the guidelines are released they can already start. Mga Sabado or very early next week meron na tayong guidelines for the booster of 18 years old and above," she said.

(We will release the guidelines for the booster doses of 18 years old and above on Saturday or very early next week.)

The initial date for the release of guidelines is on Dec. 10, Health Undersecretary and spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said.

• Guidelines for adult booster shots eyed next week: DOH

Some 7.6 million more Filipinos were inoculated during the 3-day national vaccination drive earlier this week, prompting local governments to extend it until Friday.

Another run of the "National Vaccination Days" is set on Dec. 15 to 17, according to Cabotaje.

• PH to hold another 3-day nationwide vaccination drive after 7.6 million jabbed in initial run

The Philippines has fully vaccinated 36.4 million individuals, while 49.7 million others have received an initial dose as of Nov. 30, according to data gathered by the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group.

Government aims to fully immunize at least 54 million by yearend to achieve population protection as more transmissible variants of COVID-19 emerge.

— With reports from Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News

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