FILE PHOTO: Makati Medical Center officially starts the first day of the COVID-19 pilot vaccination rollout for pediatric adolescents ages 12 to 17 years old with comorbidities. Image from Facebook / Makati Medical Center
MANILA, Philippines — Minors aged 12 to 17 may now get booster shots against COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH) announced Tuesday.
In a social media advisory, the DOH said immunocompromised adolescents could receive a booster dose 28 days after receiving their primary series dose. In addition, five months after receiving their primary series dose, healthy adolescents (or those not on the list of immunocompromised adolescents) may receive their booster dose.
“Children aged 12 to 17 can now get their booster dose against COVID-19,” the DOH said in its advisory.
This advisory of the DOH comes after its announcement last week that the administration of the COVID-19 booster dose for non-immunocompromised children 12 to 17 years old had been postponed due to limitations placed by the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC).
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in a separate message to reporters, said that all implementing units that can facilitate the anti-coronavirus booster shot might already do so.
“It was stated in our guidelines that all LGUs (local government units)/Vaccination sites who are ready to implement – trained HCWs (healthcare workers), [with] appropriate vaccines, etc. – can already implement,” she said.
The DOH said that medical centers and hospitals would schedule the administration of a booster dose to immunocompromised pediatric patients between the ages of 12 and 17. But for those without attending physicians, their booster dose vaccination would be coordinated by community health officers and rural health units.
On the other hand, healthy adolescents may register through the registration website of their respective LGUs to get their booster dose.
The DOH said 7,043 adolescents had received a booster dose against COVID-19. This is 0.08 percent of the 9,580,257 fully vaccinated adolescents nationwide.
Currently, the government regulator only allowed the administration of the vaccine developed by Pfizer for the booster dose of minors aged 12 to 17.
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