THE Department of Health-Davao (DOH-Davao) clarified in a virtual presser that booster shots of any Covid-19 vaccine is still not recommended.
Chief of the DOH-Davao Local Health Support Division Dr. Raquel Montejo said that all Covid-19 vaccines were all issued an Emergency Utilization Authority (EUA), which means that all are still ongoing on their Phase 3 clinical trials.
“Mayroon pang ginagawang long-term follow-up studies and the participants are still being monitored from two to three years. This means that we have yet to generate complete clinical trial result,” Montejo said.
This led her to say and reiterate the statement of the DOH that booster shots are not yet recommended.
“We still need to vaccinate more people and there is no data that shows that boosters are needed,” he said.
In a public advisory released last August 21, the DOH clarified information regarding the length of protection that Covid-19 vaccines offer, based on a media interview of one of the Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) members, which has been taken out of context.
The advisory cited that “contrary to the circulating posts,” Dr. Nina Gloriani did not mention how long antibodies from vaccines last, but of when antibodies start to decrease based on follow-up from participants in the clinical trials.
The DOH emphasized that while booster shots is not yet recommended in the country, the government rather needs to continuously prioritize those belonging to the high risk groups, including the senior citizens and persons with underlying conditions to maximize the gains of the current vaccine supply. (PR)