The Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday that the rollout of vaccines against COVID-19 to serve as second booster shots for senior, immunocompromised persons and healthcare workers has been delayed.

''We are waiting for the review and recommendations from the Health Technology and Assessment Council so we can roll out the boosters. We are ready with the guidelines. We will just add the provisions of the (amended) emergency use authorization of the Food and Drug Administration and the final recommendations of the Health Technology Assessment Council,'' said Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje at the virtual ''Laging Handa'' forum.

The FDA approved the amended emergency use authorization last week so the vaccines could be used as boosters.

Cabotaje said April 20 was being eyed to rollout the second booster shots but ''hopefully w can roll out at the earliest the end of the week, the latest by start of next week.''

She said the boosters will be given first in the National Capital Region although Central Luzon and Calabarzon are requesting they can included.

Persons covered by the second booster must have a four-month interval from the time they got their first booster.

As of April 18, the DOH said there are 12.97 million persons who got the first booster shot while 67 million have received the second dose. Fifty five million persons need to be inoculated with a booster so they can be considered fully vaccinated.

Hopefully, vaccination will pick up after the Holy Week and during the last remaining days of April, said Cabotaje. DMS