MANILA, Philippines – The recommendation of the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) on the implementation of COVID-19 vaccine boosters and third doses are still interim and will be updated, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.
In a statement, the DOH clarified that HTAC’s recommendations only serve as a guide to sectorial planning and will be revised pending assessment from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the amendment of Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
It will also be updated based on the recommendation from the World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (WHO SAGE) expected this November, it added.
The DOH earlier said the EUA of vaccines must first be amended to state the number of doses that must be administered as part of the series. A letter of intent for the application of the EUA has been submitted to the FDA.
The DOH said that the formal recommendation on boosters will have to be adapted into a policy with operational plans
While waiting for the guidelines on boosters, the DOH reiterated that reaching eligible unvaccinated individuals 12 years old and above should be prioritized.
“The primary series of vaccines far outweigh the incremental benefit of boosters. We have to prioritize giving the primary series of these COVID-19 vaccines to the unvaccinated so they, too, can receive the additional protection that vaccines provide against hospitalizations and deaths,” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
On the mixing and matching of vaccine brands for boosters, the department said that it will depend on FDA’s final assessment of the evidence submitted by the DOH All Experts Group.
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