A lawmaker on Thursday urged the government to immediately allow the private sector to give their excess and nearing expiration Covid-19 vaccine as booster shots to their workers.
Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor, in a news statement, supported the call of private businesses for the national vaccination task force to allow them to use their vaccine as booster shots.
He said these vaccines were procured more than four months ago and may soon expire.
“Let us authorize them to use it as booster shots to give their personnel added protection from the virus, particularly the newly discovered Omicron variant,” he said.
Defensor said that there are reports that a number of business establishments and even some private hospitals have already inoculated their workers with boosters without the go signal from the vaccination task force.
Earlier, several business groups asked the government to allow them to use its Covid-19 vaccines as booster shots for employees and their families.
The private sector groups said that boosters are a must in order to avoid another strict lockdown measure as vaccine efficacy wanes after six months.