On Wednesday, a government consultant approved Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion’s suggestion to give vaccination cards expiration date and replace them with booster cards to urge more people to receive their booster shots amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Ted Herbosa, medical adviser to the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, said during a Laging Handa briefing that while the country currently has an “excellent vaccination record,” only roughly 11.8 million people have had their boosters.
“Gusto ko ‘yung recommendation niya (Concepcion) na sometime around… lagyan daw natin ng deadline na maibigay ‘yung booster para magkaron tayo ng parang panahon na ite-check na pati ‘yung booster shot mo kung updated. Actually, maganda ‘yun para ma-encourage at ma-incentivize ang mamamayan na magpa-booster na,” he said.
Apart from increasing the country’s immunization rate, Herbosa claims that such an initiative would also assist the government in administering vaccines that are due to expire.
Concepcion had previously expressed worry over poor booster uptake in the country, suggesting that the term “completely vaccinated” be redefined to include individuals who have received a booster dose.
According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, experts have rejected this, stating that it is unacceptable to do so because institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have not redefined the term “fully vaccinated.”
Expiration date on vaccination cards proposed
Meanwhile, Dr. Myrna Cabotaje, Health Undersecretary and Chairperson of the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC), said the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) must give their approval before the government can begin administering the second booster shot or fourth dose to the public.
This came after the US Food and Drug Administration approved a second booster dosage of the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech and Moderna Inc vaccinations for persons aged 50 and older who had received their first dose at least four months before.
Given data revealing diminishing immunity and the hazards posed by the Omicron form, this fourth round of shots is supposed to offer higher protection against severe sickness and hospitalization.
Cabotaje previously stated that the NVOC plans to administer the second booster doses by the end of April, emphasizing frontline workers, senior persons, and the immunocompromised.
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