BARELY a month left in the Duterte administration, the number of Filipinos fully vaccinated from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is now at 70 million, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
The number is still seven million short of the target number of 77 million fully vaccinated Filipinos by June 30.
DOH data shows that as of May 28, there were a total of 70,790,342 fully vaccinated Filipinos.
The numbers include 2.9 million healthcare workers, 7.9 million senior citizens, and 9.6 million people with comorbidities.
Also fully vaccinated were 19.5 million workers, 9.2 million indigent families, and 21.3 million from the rest of the population.
Regions with the highest number of fully vaccinated individuals were Metro Manila with 9.6 million, followed by Calabarzon with 6.7 million, and Central Luzon with 5.4 million.
On the other hand, those with the least number of fully vaccinated population were the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with 492,000, Caraga with 836,000, and Cordillera Administrative Region with 850,000.
In a statement, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje called on all eligible but still unvaccinated Filipinos to get their COVID-19 jabs as soon as possible, amid the continuing threat of the virus and especially with the presence of different variants and sub-variants in the country.
“We want to emphasize that the virus is unpredictable, ever-changing, which is why we should not put our guards down,” Cabotaje said.
“The DOH continuously reminds the public that getting vaccinated is the best-defense and best long-term solution in this pandemic,” added Cabotaje.
‘FOCUS ON ECONOMY’
With COVID cases under control and most areas, including the National Capital Region, remaining under Alert Level 1, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said it is time for the government to consider ending the country’s public health emergency status.
“This would be the right time for us to focus on the health of our economy. The faster way to economic recovery is to approach it now with our victories in mind,” Concepcion said.
Concepcion said lifting the public health emergency status would “reframe the country’s approach to the pandemic, especially with the economy now entering a crucial stage in its recovery.”
He added that “Filipinos seem to have learned to live with the virus,” pointing out that people continue to wear facemasks and maintain physical distancing in public places.
Likewise, he said that infection and hospitalization rates have remained low even after the conduct of election-related mass gatherings and despite the case surges in Asia.
Given how freely people are now moving around, Concepcion said the government should now apply restrictions based on high-risk areas and activities. “We would bounce back much faster if we apply a granular approach, not just on locations but to activities,” he said.
He suggested continuing an alert level system that is based on healthcare and ICU bed utilization rates rather than on infection rates.
“There will be surges and we will just have to apply what we already know about treating and containing the cases, but we should not be alarmed when infection numbers rise as long as our hospitals are within safe limits,” he said.
Restrictions, he said, make it more difficult for businesses to generate the revenue and the taxes needed to pay back the country’s debts.
Concepcion also noted that the Duterte government has already eased requirements for travelers, such as removing the COVID swab test mandate for incoming tourists as long as they are inoculated.
He also said the World Health Organization has already announced that it is working to declare an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international health concern, though it clarified that it is not the end of the pandemic.
“Several policy changes point to a less heightened public health emergency in the country…. (And) the country now remains generally at low-risk levels, and only a weak surge is expected over the next few weeks,” Concepcion said.
“An obstacle right now is the mindset that we are still under an emergency, but it seems we have already learned to live with COVID. But this will not be the final pandemic, so we should start refining our public health warning system,” he added.
Concepcion advised the next administration to address the excess supply of vaccines by giving these as second boosters to economic frontliners. Second boosters are only recommended for healthcare workers, senior citizens and those who are immunocompromised. The next administration can now also be guided by data on vaccination rates to recalibrate future vaccination programs, he added.
DRIVE THRU CENTER
Meanwhile, the city of Manila announced it will close its 24/7 drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination and swab testing on June 7. No explanation was given for the decision to end the program.
The drive-thru vaccination and swab testing is currently being done at the Quirino Grandstand.
The city government launched the program last January as part of its efforts to fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
It is part of the city government’s “open door” policy when it comes to vaccination against COVID-19, meaning even non-residents are welcome to get their jabs in Manila.
Data from the city government showed that 3,453,766 vaccine doses have been administered as of May 28 under the program, of which 1,707,714 are fully vaccinated. — With Ashzel Hachero
