Pres'l adviser wants private sector allowed to use procured vaccines booster

By Nidz Godino

"For private sector, since we have those vaccines already in our storages, I asked them to please allow us to already implement it with our employees, especially those who have taken Sinovac much earlier," Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said private sector should be allowed to use vaccines it procured for booster shots.

Concepcion has spoken to both Health Sec. Francisco Duque III and Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr about the matter and he believes they were "open to the idea." He said he pointed out that private companies bought from AstraZeneca and Moderna and that the latter can even be used for minors.

"Since we purchased these for the employees and their families, so we want to implement it as soon as possible following  protocols that were laid out as to how to use these booster shots," he said.

Concepcion said "we should not wait for the sequencing anymore," and instead open up inoculation of additional COVID-19 jab to the general public, with those in the priority groups given "fast lanes."

"Open up the vaccination for all, grant fast lanes for those that are in the priority sectors…the moment they get there, they have the right to overtake everybody…that's how we can push faster this vaccination of the entire Philippines," Concepcion said.

Philippines began giving COVID-19 booster shots for senior citizens and third doses for immunocompromised individuals. It was previously limited to health workers, who are constantly exposed to the virus.

The Department of Health earlier explained that booster doses are given if the fully vaccinated individuals' immunity lower over time, and third doses are provided if jab recipients such as those immunocompromised have not mounted "appropriate immune response," against COVID-19.

Some  33.46 million individuals have so far been fully vaccinated in the country as of November 20. This represents 43.38 percent of the government's target of inoculating 77 million people.

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