On 17 June 2022, the Secretary of Health signed the updated recommendation of the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) for second booster of COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare workers, senior citizens (ages 60 years old and above), and fourth dose for the immunocompromised population, following the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau’s (DPCB) rollout.
Considering the role of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the healthcare system and their higher risk of infection, as well as available real world evidence for HCWs, senior citizens ages 60 years old and above, and immunocompromised populations ages 18 years old and above, the HTAC recommends the financing and inclusion of second booster of mRNA vaccines (i.e., Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Moderna (Spikevax) 50 ug) and fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, CoronaVac, and Sinopharm (with preference for mRNA vaccines), for inclusion in the Philippine National Deployment and Vaccination Plan.
The table below summarizes the recommended vaccines and the time frame in which they should be administered for each population group:
| Population | What are the recommended vaccines? | When should they take the vaccine? |
| Healthcare workers (HCWs) | Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty)Moderna (Spikevax) 50 μg | At least 4 months after their first booster |
| Senior Citizens (ages 60 years old and above) | Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty)Moderna (Spikevax) 50 μg | At least 4 months after their first booster |
| Immunocompromised population1 (ages 18 years old and above) | Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty)Moderna (Spikevax) 50 μgCOVID-19 Vaccine (ChAdOx1-S [recombinant]) (COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZenecaSARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated [CoronaVac]COVID-19 Vaccine Sinopharm | At least 3 months after the third dose |
The HTAC recognizes the challenges faced by the Department of Health (DOH) and local government units (LGUs) in promoting and implementing the COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign. Indeed, there is a need to work together to address the need to enhance the coverage of both the primary series and first booster vaccination in the general population (ages 18 years old and above), especially among the senior citizens and those with comorbidities. We especially note the substantial impact of the first booster vaccination in restoring the protection from the primary series.
As a supplement to the HTAC recommendation on second booster/fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines that was submitted last 22 April and 11 May 2022, the HTAC also submits its Evidence Summary: Second Booster/ Fourth Dose of COVID-19 vaccines for the prevention of COVID-19
Finally, we would like to emphasize that the HTAC is actively following the latest evidence which is rapidly evolving.
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