Health workers can choose COVID-19 booster shot, says DOH

(File) Health workers in a vaccination facility in Ilocos Sur province prepare to administer COVID-19 vaccines. (Photo courtesy of Vigan city government)

MANILA, Philippines — Healthcare workers are allowed to choose the COVID-19 vaccine brand they want to receive as their booster shot.

This is according to the guidelines of the administration of booster doses for healthcare workers, which is under the A1 priority group, the Department of Health (DOH) released on Wednesday.

The DOH earlier said health workers can get their booster shots starting Wednesday, Nov. 17.

Approved booster shots for health workers are single doses of Pfizer, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca vaccines and half the regular dose of a Moderna vaccine.

They can choose the same brand (homologous) or a different one (heterologous) from the vaccine they first received. However, this will be based on the brand mixing approved by the government, the DOH said.

If a health worker chooses to get a different brand for their booster dose, they may receive the following:

Sinovac:

-AstraZeneca

-Pfizer

-Moderna (half dose)

AstraZeneca:

-Pfizer

-Moderna (half dose)

Pfizer:

-AstraZeneca

-Moderna (half dose)

Moderna:

-AstraZeneca

-Pfizer

Healthcare workers must inform the vaccination site of their brand preference so that it can be prepared in advance, the DOH said.

Most of the country’s medical frontliners received Sinovac vaccines when the COVID-19 inoculation program started in March as it was the first brand to be delivered to the Philippines.

Booster shots are given to those whose immunity is waning overtime after completing the required vaccine shots.

/MUF