MANILA, Philippines — Around 2,100 immunocompromised individuals have already received their second COVID-19 booster shot as of Tuesday, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
The DOH said Wednesday that the figure was “based on recent reports,” and that it continues to collect and process data on the ground.
The government started giving second COVID-19 booster doses for immunocompromised adults on Monday.
Citing data from the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC), the DOH said that 13 million out of 51 million eligible individuals have already received their first booster shots. The DOH aims to vaccinate around 690,000 individuals for the second booster.
According to DOH, the Food and Drug Administration has already issued emergency use authorization for the administration of second boosters for the immunocompromised, senior citizens, and health workers.
However, the recommendation of the Health Technology Assessment Council for now is to only administer these doses to immunocompromised individuals.
“HTAC review is still underway for administration to senior citizens and frontline healthcare workers,” the DOH said.
“The DOH seeks the patience of the public as these processes are in place to ensure the safety of every Juan and Juana, as well as to optimize the effectiveness of these vaccines to our immune system,” the health department added.
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