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The Philippine vaccine expert panel to decide whether COVID-19 booster shots is need or not to curb transmission of the disease, particularly among health workers.

Dr. Nina Gloriani, chairman of vaccine expert panel, said on Friday they were looking for the “best possible solution” to protect health-care workers amid the scarcity of vaccine supplies.

By next week, baka meron na tayong maging decision diyan. Tuloy-tuloy naman ‘yung aming pag-uusap pero you know marami kasing kinoconsider no, ‘yung breakthrough infections sa health-care workers,” Gloriani said.

Should booster shots be made available, Gloriani said medical workers would be prioritized as they are the most exposed to the risk of COVID-19.

To date, only 14.1 million people in the country are fully vaccinated. This is 19.91 percent of the government’s target of 70 million adult Filipinos.

“Thailand is planning to give AstraZeneca or mRNA-type booster shots to an estimated 3.4 million people who were administered the Sinovac brand earlier.

Booster doses have already been given to medical and frontline workers who received the Chinese vaccine in Thailand.

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. had said he was open to the idea of giving booster shots to health-care workers already fully vaccinated with Sinovac.

His statement came more than a month after a study showed that antibodies triggered by Sinovac’s vaccine declined around 6 months after a second dose for most recipients, although a third shot had a strong booster effect.

For its part, the World Health Organization had urged countries to “hold back” on providing booster shots as experts have yet to see “any evidence” that an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine could prevent breakthrough infections.