A party-list lawmaker on Wednesday urged local government units (LGUs) to let people choose their preferred Covid-19 vaccine brand for a booster shot.

Anakalusugan Party-list Representative Mike Defensor said the LGUs should clearly indicate in their registration websites which vaccines are available for the Covid-19 booster dose.

He said the Department of Health (DOH) has come out with guidelines on mix-and-match of primary jabs and booster shots and LGUs should adopt the agency’s recommendations and be transparent in its registration process.

He particularly cited the case in Quezon City wherein its Vax Easy registration system does not show which brand of vaccine is offered in what vaccination center.

“All it shows are the inoculation centers and the number of slots still available, leaving the registrant to guess which booster to choose,” he said.

He said the constituents fear that they would just waste their time by returning home if they do not like the vaccine when they go to their preferred vaccination site.

Defensor pointed out that based on the DOH mix-and-match guidelines, those who have received their primary shots have the option to choose Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna as their booster.

National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 chief implementer, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., said the Philippines is “relatively” slow in administering booster shots against Covid-19.

The latest data from the NTF showed that the Philippines has administered 110,089,619 doses of Covid-19 vaccines nationwide – 57,254,482 were given as first doses, 50,627,196 as second doses and 2,207,941 were utilized as booster shots.

“We are still relatively slow sa ating mga pagbo-booster. At the same time, kailangan po natin hanapin at i-vaccinate ang 2.5 million na unvaccinated seniors (We are still relatively slow in injecting booster shots. At the same time, we need to find and inoculate the 2.5 million unvaccinated seniors),” Galvez noted. (PNA)