Malacañang on Monday said the impending start of the country’s administration of second Covid-19 vaccine booster shots was not a precautionary measure for a possible Covid-19 surge post-elections.
In a statement, acting Palace spokesman Martin Andanar said the goal of a second booster shot is to prevent Covid-19.
“The administration of the fourth dose, or second booster shot, of Covid-19 vaccines has nothing to do with the potential increase in cases in May 2022,” Andanar said.
“[It] is our scientific response to waning immunity. Our goal is to reinforce the shield that will protect us from any variants already here and that might come in later on. Prevention is better than cure,” he added.
Experts have warned of an uptick in cases in the coming weeks due to social gatherings during religious and elections-related activities.
Dr. Rajendra Yadav, acting WHO representative to the Philippines, said Filipinos should always wear masks and get their booster shots to ready themselves for a possible surge.
The government aims to fully vaccinate 100 percent of the country’s target population by June.
An adviser of Duterte has made the proposal to require booster shots by June to utilize the vaccine jabs in stock and potentially fight new Covid-19 variants that might emerge. John Ezekiel J. Hirro