Recipients of Janssen, Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccines may get booster dose after 3 months—PH FDA

December 13 ------ Only those who received the Sputnik Light and Janssen coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines during their primary vaccination are allowed to get a booster dose three months after, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Sunday. “Meron pong dalawang bakuna, yung Janssen at saka yung Sputnik Light na mga single dose na maaari na pong mag-booster three months after,” said FDA Director-General Rolando Enrique Domingo in an interview over radio DZBB.

The recipients of the single shot vaccines Sputnik Light and Janssen can choose AstraZeneca, Pfizer, or Moderna as their booster dose. Meanwhile, the recipients of other vaccine brands such as Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Sputnik V should get their booster shot six months after receiving their second dose. “Yung ibang mga bakuna natin, yung mga double dose, sa ngayon po ang ating experts— ang pinapayagan ay six months after,” said Domingo.

On Dec. 10, the Department of Health (DOH) said it is studying the possibility if COVID-19 vaccine booster shots can be given three months after the second dose of the primary vaccination. Based on current evidence, the efficacy of vaccines starts to wane six months after completing the primary vaccination, Domingo said. “Doon pa lang naman nakikita na nagwe-wane o bumababa yung effect ng mga primary vaccination at sa ngayon, ayun ang nakikita talaga nating magandang timing para magbigay ng booster,” he said.

Domingo said it is best to inoculate first those people who have yet to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

“Kasi nakikita natin na maganda pa ang proteksyon talaga until six months after. At before that ay hindi tayo nagmamadali na magbigay ng booster. In fact, mas nagmamadali tayo na mabigyan dapat ng bakuna ang 50 percent ng mga Pilipino na wala pa kahit isang bakuna. Siguro mag-concentrate muna tayo doon sa unvaccinated (The protection from vaccines is still good until six months after. And before that, we are not in a rush to provide a booster dose. In fact, we are more in a hurry to vaccinate 50 percent of Filipinos who have yet to receive a vaccine. Maybe we should concentrate on the unvaccinated first),” he said.

Source: mb.com.ph