SECRETARY Francisco Duque III of the Department of Health (DOH) today announced that the Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) will officially recommend to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) an interval of not less than three months between the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and the booster dose.
This means the gap will become shorter from the original six-month interval, a decision made in light of the Omicron variant threat.
According to Duque, the VEP is expected to release its official recommendation by next week.
He said from the 6-month gap, it will now be a three- to four-month interval between the second dose and the booster shot.
Duque adds that this will apply to all the COVID-19 vaccines.
The DOH chief said that the Omicron variant is still a new variant and they would need more information about it.
However, all COVID-19 vaccines are still very much effective, and the booster dose will be of big help as an added layer of protection.