Duque: Vaccine booster value ‘much higher’ vs Omicron than Delta at 16%

FILE PHOTO: A nurse fills a syringe with Pfizer vaccine. REUTERS/Mike Blake

MANILA, Philippines — Aside from the continued effectiveness of the primary vaccines, the booster value against the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is also “much higher” compared to the Delta variant, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Wednesday.

Citing a recent study from the United Kingdom, as relayed to him by the health department’s technical panel of experts, Duque said that vaccines “work quite substantially” against Omicron — with the effectiveness rate of around 81 percent.

Additionally, Duque said the booster value is higher against the Omicron variant than against the Delta variant.

Duque said that the booster value against Delta variant is at 3 percent, while the booster value against the Omicron variant is at 16 percent.

Since the primary vaccines have an effectiveness rate of 65 percent against the Omicron variant, adding the 16 percent booster value puts the effectiveness rate up to 81 percent.

“‘Yung first two doses is at 65 percent and then [additional] 16 percent when you booster so mataas pa rin ‘yung effectiveness rate nitong mga bakuna natin,” Duque said.

(The first two doses are at 65 percent effectiveness rate and then additional 16 percent when you booster, so our vaccines still have a high effectiveness rate.)

The Department of Health (DOH) earlier announced that the Philippines is once again classified as “high risk” for COVID-19 amid the recent increase in cases in the country.

EDV