DOH: Some 690,000 immunocompromised individuals can receive 2nd booster

Video from PTV

MANILA – Some 690,000 adults with health risks are eligible to get a second COVID-19 booster shot, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday. 

Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said the agency was expected to immunize up to 13,000 people with comorbidities – the priority sector for this booster campaign – beginning on Monday. 

• PH to begin rollout of 2nd booster for vulnerable sectors next week

Second booster shots will be administered at least three months after the first one, according to the health department.

"Ikakasa natin sa buong bansa, depende sa kahandaan ng ating mga bakuna center na mag-implement ng mga second booster," Cabotaje said in a public briefing. 

In a separate statement, the DOH defined immunocompromised individuals as having the following: 

• Immunodeficiency state 
• HIV 
• Active cancer or malignancy
• Transplant recipients
• Undergoing steroid treatment
• Patients with poor prognosis or bed-ridden patients
• Other conditions of immunodeficiency as certified by a physician 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the following vaccine brands for the second booster dose, DOH said: 

• AstraZeneca
• Pfizer
• Moderna
• Sinovac 
• Sinopharm 

Based on government data, the country has fully vaccinated some 67.1 million individuals, while about 12.7 million have received booster shots.