MANILA – The Department of Health now allows coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients to be immediately vaccinated after recovery.
DOH has amended the Section III E.5 of Department Circular No. 2021-0157 upon the recommendation of experts.
It was stated in the order that “all vaccine recipients who contracted COVID-19 may be vaccinated after recovery or completion of treatment, whether for first or second dose, without restarting the vaccine dose schedule.”
“This recommendation was made following new studies about vaccination after recovery and in view of the widespread community transmission in Metro Manila,” Health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
Previously, survivors must wait at least 14 days after recovery from the virus before receiving COVID vaccine.
Before, people with a history of the virus were asked to wait for 90 days since that is how long a COVID-19 survivor may evade reinfection due to the natural antibodies they developed after the initial infection.
As of April 13, DOH said that around 1.2 million Filipinos have been vaccinated as the country aims to vaccinate up to 70 million persons this year./PN
