Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion (File photo)
MANILA – Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion has lauded the Department of Health (DOH) for heeding the private sector’s call to shorten the interval time between the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine and booster shot.
“We need to act fast by getting ahead before the immunity from the first two doses wane. We are in a good position to increase our protection and keep our ‘Bakuna Bubble’ intact now that cases are low and vaccine supply is stable,” Concepcion said in a statement Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the DOH approved to give a single-dose booster as early as three months after the second dose for individuals that completed their AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, Sinovac, or Sputnik jabs, and as early as two months for those that received the single-dose Janssen vaccine.
Last week, Concepcion and the OCTA Research Group called on the government to shorten the interval between the last dose and the booster shot to four months.
This, as data suggest that the efficacy of Covid-19 jabs “significantly decreases at around five months” or sooner depending on the vaccine brand, OCTA Research Fellow Fr. Nicanor Austriaco said.
“We are grateful that the DOH heard our call. We want to thank Sec. Charlie Galvez, Sec. Francisco Duque, Dr. Edsel Salvaña, and the vaccine expert panel including Dr. Gene Solante and FDA Director General Eric Domingo for approving the suggestion of the private sector to give the booster earlier,” Concepcion said.
Concepcion added that speeding up the booster shots will help the country to “secure a win against Covid-19”.
“This call for early boosting is important to prevent Omicron from hitting us hard. Our numbers are very low now and continue to go down. This is not luck. This was planned so we must fortify our defenses with early boosting. We have now a lot of vaccines and if we don’t use them, these will expire,” Concepcion said.
Earlier, National Task Force Against Covid-19 Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor said while the national government is administering booster shots, it will continue to provide primary doses to those who have not received their jabs.
The government targets to inoculate 54 million Filipinos by end of this year, Mayor added. (PNA)
