The provincial government of Negros Oriental has started inoculating second booster shot against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) to frontline and health care workers and senior citizens.

“Last week, the 2nd booster was limited only to immunocompromised individuals, but we are now starting to give it to those under the A1 (frontline/health care services) and A2 (senior citizens) categories,” Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion said in a virtual media briefing on Monday.

Estacion, however, said qualified individuals will only get second booster dose four months after having the first booster shot.

Records at the Provincial Health Office showed that as of May 23, the fully vaccinated individuals, including those who received the single dose Janssen vaccine, reached 656,512 or 66.2 percent of the 990,637 target individuals.

On the other hand, 591,440 individuals have already received their first dose and are now waiting for the second shot.

Estacion said only 83,483 of the fully vaccinated individuals have received the booster dose.

Meanwhile, the second booster doses are also made available for the city’s eligible residents, who were asked to go to the City Health laboratory from Monday to Friday, except during holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., a media release said on Monday night.

Those who want to avail themselves of the second booster shot should bring their vaccination cards with them.

The city has an available supply of Moderna, Sinovac, and Pfizer vaccines for the second booster shot while Janssen, Gamaleya Sputnik V and Sputnik Light cannot be used for the same purpose in the absence of a Health Technology Assessment Council recommendation. (PNA)