THE Department of Health (DOH) gave its approval to administer a second booster dose for the immunocompromised.
The recommendation by the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) for the administration of a second booster dose for the A3 priority group–the immunocompromised–was signed by DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III.
However, Duque said during the Laging Handa public briefing said they are already finalizing a few more details of the implementing guidelines for the second booster shot before it is rolled out by next week.
It is stated in the guidelines that the second booster shot will be for those who underwent organ transplant procedures, are taking immuno-suppressants, cancer patients, HIV-AIDS patients, those undergoing chronic dialysis, those with primary immuno-deficiencies, and those diagnosed of having a weak immune system.
Duque clarified, however, that the administration of the second booster dose for senior citizens and healthcare workers was not included in the approved recommendation since this is still under review by the HTAC.
The HTAC is still reviewing more amounts of data related to this, such as those coming from the World Health Organization, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control, the United Kingdom and the Joint Commission on Vaccination and Immunization.
Once the HTAC completes its study and is content with the results, it will also release a recommendation for Duque’s approval and will craft another set of guidelines for this.