Three studies in the United States showed that a third dose or booster shot of an mRNA vaccine such as Moderna or Pfizer was highly protective against the highly contagious omicron variant.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the booster dose is up to 90 percent effective in preventing the severe symptoms of COVID-19 caused by omicron.
“Pagdating sa 2 aspeto ng pagtugon, bakuna continues to be effective versus severe, critical cases, therefore preventing hospitalizations and death,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
An infectious disease specialist stressed that even after being hit by COVID-19, getting the primary series and booster dose vaccine is still essential.
“Nagka-infection na sila, mayroon na raw silang antibody, so ‘yun na daw ang passport nila, hindi na raw nila kailangan ng bakuna. No, that’s wrong. Pag na-infect ka, naka-develop ka ng antibody, ‘yung antibody response mo will not be as durable as that without the vaccine. So kailangan mo pa rin ng bakuna,” said Dr. Rontgene Solante, infectious disease specialist.
Moderna, Pfizer booster shots effective vs omicron: study
Based on the latest data, of the 57.2 million individuals who have the complete vaccine, only about 6.3 million still have a booster.
Meanwhile, experts in the Philippines are still studying the newly emerging data regarding the protection provided by the 4th vaccine dose.
According to the Israel Health Ministry, protection against acute symptoms is three times higher and twice as much against COVID-19 infection of senior citizens in Israel who were injected with the 4th dose of the vaccine, compared to just three doses.
According to the National Vaccination Operations Center, philippine experts are still studying the data. But so far, the plan for the government’s vaccination program this year has not included the provision of the 4th dose.
According to Solante, the protection provided by a booster shot or an extra dose against the fatal COVID-19 is still sufficient. He said they have not yet seen a “significant benefit” of the fourth dose.
“We reviewed the data, but we can’t find any significant benefit of a 4th dose in 60 years old, because the current data, as long as booster or third dose, it was already enough to protect against severe COVID and hospitalization,” he explained.
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