Department of Health in Davao Region (DOH-11) Assistant Director Lenny Joy Rivera (Photo courtesy of Dr. Lenny Joy Rivera Facebook page)
DAVAO CITY - Local official here said government reviews are ongoing for the possible administration of a third vaccine dose or booster shot, especially among health workers, to bolster one’s immune system against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid19).
In an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Department of Health (DOH) 11 (Davao Region) Assistant Director Lenny Joy Rivera said there is an ongoing review of the possibility of using the third dose or booster shots because it works to strengthen one’s immune system.
“Thus, it is recommended to take either booster shot or third dose depending on the person's eligibility group once and as soon as their use is approved and finalized by the government,” Rivera said.
She added that as soon as the guidelines will be made available, they will be immediately and properly disseminated.
On Tuesday, Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, also confirmed that talks with DOH-11 are ongoing in preparation for the booster shot vaccination but no definite date yet as to its administration.
She said the city government here and DOH-11 has discussed the administration of booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines for medical health front-liners as the first eligible sector to receive additional protection.
“I can confirm that we have talked about booster doses especially for our front-liners,” Schlosser said.
Meanwhile, Rivera reiterated the need to get vaccinated for the primary series of vaccines [first and second dose] especially that talks about the third booster shot are surfacing.
“As of now we would like to reiterate the importance of giving the primary series of vaccines first to the unvaccinated eligible individuals and encourage especially the unvaccinated A2 or the senior citizens,” she said. (PNA)
