COVID-19 vaccine dose combinations: What you need to know
The administration of the COVID-19 vaccine booster or additional doses to priority groups A2 and A3 begins today, November 22, as announced by the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday.
The announcement comes days after the administration of booster doses to the A1 group or the frontline workers commenced on November 17.
The A2 group comprises senior citizens aged 60 and above, while the A3 group consists of persons with comorbidities.
Included in the A3 group who may start to receive an additional or third dose as part of the primary series are the following people with comorbidities in immunocompromised state:
a. Immunodeficiency state
b. People living with HIV
c. Active cancer or malignancy
d. Transplant patients
e. Patients under immunosuppressive treatments
The DOH also listed the recommended dose schedule and dose combinations for each brand of vaccine.
At least six months interval is advised from primary vaccination for the following brands:
- Sinovac
- AstraZeneca
- Pfizer
- Moderna
- Gamaleya Sputnik
- Janssen
Meanwhile, only three months interval is recommended for the COVID-19 vaccine brand, Janssen.
The DOH also stated the two kinds of booster shots: the homologous booster and the heterologous booster.
The homologous booster simply means getting a third or additional shot of the same brand you were previously inoculated with, while a heterologous booster means getting a shot from a different vaccine brand for a booster shot.
The recommended heterologous booster for each COVID-19 vaccine brand are as follows
- Sinovac - AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna
- AstraZeneca - Pfizer, Moderna
- Pfizer - AstraZeneca, Moderna
- Moderna - AstraZeneca, Pfizer
- Gamaleya Sputnik - AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna
- Jansenn - AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna
The DOH and the National COVID-19 Vaccination Operations also emphasized that much like the primary vaccination, the administration of booster shots is conducted in phases or by batch.
Right now, only priority groups A1, A2, and A3 are scheduled to get their vaccine booster shots, and the rest of the population would have to wait for their turn.
