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The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday said it’s proposing a separate fund for purchase of COVID-19 booster shot vaccine in the 2022 national budget.

Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, heads of the National Vaccines Operations panel, said the decision to set aside budget for the purchase of COVID-19 booster shots under the 2022 budget in case experts recommend the use of these doses next year.

The Government has yet to recommend the use of COVID-19 booster shots as the country’s vaccine experts have yet to come up with a “firm recommendation,” said.

“We are considering it in the 2022 budget [pero] wala pa kasing firm recommendation ang ating all experts group,” she said in an online press conference. 

“Will it be a third dose of vaccine? Will we boost another vaccine with another vaccine? In the next month or 2, the all-experts group will be able to give us a most final recommendation,” she said.

Experts are looking at providing booster shots for “specific populations” such as health workers, as well as people battling cancer and HIV, Cabotaje said.

“We are really studying the events… We do not know in the future kung parang magiging trangkaso ‘yan, flu vaccines na baka kailangan lang ng 1 dose every year without having a primary dose,” she said.

The United States earlier said it would start giving COVID-19 booster shots to Americans 8 months after they have been fully inoculated against the disease.

But the World Health Organization said that current data does not indicate that COVID-19 booster shots are needed.