The ceremonial vaccination of booster shots for healthcare workers against COVID-19 began at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City on Wednesday.

Rose Marie Rosete - Liquete, NKTI executive director, said in a radio interview a total of 300 healthcare workers are targeted to receive their jabs during the first day of vaccination for booster shots.

Liquete said the Pfizer vaccine is the only brand available for the booster dose vaccination in NKTI.

"We have an administrative order reviewed by our Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the health assessment team that if you get Sinovac for the first doses you can also receive Sinovac, Pfizer or Moderna for booster... in case there is no AstraZeneca we can use Pfizer or Moderna," she said.

"Whatever brand of COVID-19 vaccines you initially get, you can receive Pfizer or Moderna for booster. It so happened that Pfizer is the only brand of vaccine that is available for now. We do not have Sinovac, we do not have AstraZeneca, so Pfizer is what we have now," she added.

As of noon, Liquete said there is no adverse reaction among the healthcare workers who received booster shots.

Government media said the ceremonial vaccination was led by Health Secretary Francisco Duque who administered the first inoculation, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega and Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr.

Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said about 600,000 healthcare workers are qualified to get booster shots. ''We hope we can finish many of you by month's end," she said at a virtual townhall forum with healthcare workers.

Cabotaje said the rest of the healthcare population are targeted for booster shots in the coming months.

"From December to January, we will continue as long as they are required from us," said Cabotaje. Robina Asido/DMS