Seniors jabbed with Sinovac need 3rd dose – WHO

MANILA, Philippines — The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended giving a third or additional dose to senior citizens who received Sinovac and Sinopharm, an official said yesterday.

WHO country representative Rabindra Abeyasinghe said the elderly who were vaccinated with the China-made vaccines “appear to require a third as an extended primary course.”

“We already have a recommendation for third dose for particular vaccine brands … We’ve recommended that third dose for (those) above 60 years who’ve received either Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccines,” he added.

The agency also recommended the third dose for immunocompromised people if they have completed the primary series of vaccination because “they are not capable of developing and sustaining the level of immunity.”

According to Abeyasinghe, giving the third dose should start with “the most severely immunocompromised.” And for the elderly, inoculation should begin with those aged over 80 years “then move to the over 70s and finally to the over 60s.”

Abeyasinghe also clarified that booster shots are different from third dose. A booster dose is given if the level of immunity of a person goes down several months after completing the vaccination. On the other hand, a third or additional dose is administered if a person could not develop sufficient immunity despite being inoculated.

Recommendations

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire reiterated yesterday that while Secretary Francisco Duque III has approved the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) recommendations to give booster shots to health care workers, the elderly and immunocompromised individuals, they cannot carry this out yet.

“The secretary has approved the recommendations and plans are now underway as we announced earlier,” she said, but they are still waiting for the final recommendation from the World Health Organization-Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), which will be out in November.

In a letter to Duque dated Oct. 13, HTAC chair Marita Tolentino-Reyes underscored that the recommendations shall guide the vaccination rollout for the fourth quarter of 2021 and 2022.

“We emphasize that these recommendations are being offered in consideration of sufficient vaccine supply and acceptable coverage for primary vaccination,” she said.

Based on HTAC’s interim recommendations, booster shots must be given to health care workers in the fourth quarter of 2021 and among elderly priority groups in 2022.

For immunocompromised individuals, the third or additional dose must be administered in 2021 and 2022.

The HTAC recommended that Pfizer-BioNTech be given as boosters for those who received the same brand as primary series. Those originally given AstraZeneca can be given the same brand or Pfizer while those who received Janssen can only be given Janssen. Those who earlier received Coronavac or Sinovac can be jabbed with the same brand or Pfizer or AstraZeneca.

Vergeire added that companies would have to apply for the amendment of their initial emergency use authorization (EUA) issued by the Food and Drug Administration before their jabs can be used as booster doses.