Infectious disease expert not recommending 2nd booster shot yet

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos should not yet get a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose or a second booster shot as its efficacy and side effects are still uncertain, an infectious disease expert said Friday.

Dr. Edsel Salvana, a member of the Department of Health-Technical Advisory Group (DOH-TAG), said the administration of a second booster dose is still being studied.

He said that while there might be an increased protection against severe COVID-19 from a second booster dose, it would only be small.

“While there might be some increased protection to infection, ‘yung increased protection from severe disease, medyo kaunti lang nadadagdag,” he said in a Laging Handa briefing.

(The increased protection against severe infection would be small.)

He said a second booster dose, if approved, may only be targeted to health workers who are highly exposed against COVID-19 as well as those in the vulnerable population such as senior citizens and persons with comorbidities.

Salvana said there are also studies of new vaccines, next generation vaccines and tweaked vaccines, which were reformulated shots that would be more effective against COVID-19 variants of concern.

With this, he advised Filipinos to defer getting a second booster shot since there could be better vaccines that they can receive.

“Kung kaunti na lang ‘yung nadadagdag na protection plus the fact na kukuha ka ng bakuna, baka hindi na rin gano’n ka-epektibo ‘yung nadadagag versus having a 4th dose,” he said.

(If the additional protection is minimal, maybe it may not be very effective.)

“And maybe later mas maganda pa ‘yung mga vaccines na lumabas na pwedeng ibigay as 4th dose,” Salvana added.

(Maybe later, there would be better vaccines that can be administered as fourth dose.)

He also pointed out that many Filipinos have yet to receive their first and second dose of the vaccine so supply should be focused for them.

“Sa ngayon, ang recommendation natin is do not get a 4th dose, do not get a 2nd booster muna dahil hindi  pa tiyak ang efficacy nito versus ‘yung any possible side effects,” Salvana said.

(We recommend not getting a fourth dose or a second booster shot for now because its efficacy and side effects are still uncertain.)

READ: One booster shot is enough for now, says infectious disease expert

What is important for now is Filipinos getting their first and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, he added.

As of Feb. 17, about 9.4 million Filipinos have received their booster shots.

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