Moms and Dads

We Definitely Need To Get Our Booster Shots!

With the DOH now shortening the requirement for adults in getting boosted to 3 months instead of 6, it’s about time we get our booster shots!

It looks like Ate Rona‘s not losing steam any time soon. She’s got her two upgrades — Omicron and Delta — rampaging now in the Philippines. We were already flattening the curve but now it’s spiking again. Although the side effects when we got our vaccinations were kind of scary, we’d rather get it again through our COVID-19 booster shots if it means we’ll survive the severe effects of Omicron and Delta.

Wait, we thought it was 6 months?

In hopes of keeping the curve flat, the Department of Health (DOH) released a statement that all adults (that means us parents) can get boosted after 3 months of receiving our second shot. We can count based on the month written on our Vax Cards.

The three months however only apply if you’ve received Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZenca, Sinovac, or Sputnik as your initial vaccine. But if you’ve received Jansen, you’ll be able to get your booster after 2 months since it’s only a single shot.

What about our kids?

Kids 12-17 years old can't get their booster shots yet.

Unfortunately, our teens — 12-17 years old — won’t be able to get boosted yet. We’re still waiting for updates but in the meantime, we have to get boosted. A lot of us are the runners at home. Although some of us do groceries online, some of us are quite meticulous especially if some of us are cooking and we’d rather pick the ingredients ourselves. All the more if we’re the caregivers to our grandparents who might be living with us.

Does a booster shot invalidate my initial vaccination?

Booster shots don't invalidate your initial vaccination!

Getting a booster shot’s like updating our MacBooks or our Window’s computer anti-viruses and operating systems. It’s still there; it’s just updating some of the components so your body can form a better defense against COVID-19. So no need to worry, getting a Pfizer on top of your Moderna, Sinovac, or whatever prior vaccine you got doesn’t render your initial vaccination useless. It actually makes sure you have a lower chance of getting infected, suffering the severe effects, and infecting our kids.

Where can we get boosted?

If your barangay isn’t moving fast enough, you can check in with your Local Government Units to see what’s available. Some governments are even more open to showing which vaccine is available in the area and on that day. If not, you can check out Nayong Pilipino Foundation if you want to do a drive-through instead. They’re a mega-vaccination site so, they’re sure to have some slots. Just make sure you free up your schedule and consider the traffic. It may be a whole day affair but better one whole day than getting sick with COVID-19, or God forbid, infecting our kids with Omicron or Delta.

Looking for more COVID-related news? Check it out here!

COVID-19 Vaccination for Kids: Here’s How to Register
Will the Omicron Variant affect our kids? Here’s what we know
Lockdown Alert Level 3: Happy New Year?

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