THE Department of Health (DOH) is targeting to administer around 23 million first booster shots for COVID-19 in the first 100 days of the Marcos government, according to Health Undersecretary and DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire.
Based on DOH data, 65.34 million individuals have been fully vaccinated and about 49.7 million are due for boosters. As of July 17, only about 15.59 million individuals have been given booster shots.
In a radio interview yesterday, Vergeire said the target is realistic considering nearly 50 million individuals are due for booster shots.
She said targeting to give first boosters to all 50 million individuals “is not really realistic” for the first 100 days.
“But, at least, we’re targeting 50 percent,” she added.
Vergeire said the target was set during a meeting between President Marcos Jr and DOH officials last Monday.
“The President values the evidence that the first booster will really up the immunity of the population,” she said.
When the target is met, Vergeire said, “then that’s the time we can talk if we can have new or further easing of restrictions.”
The Private Hospitals Association Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) said the number of bed occupants has risen together with the surge in COVID-19 cases, and the patients are mostly unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
“Those being admitted are severe or critical cases, although there are only a few of them,” PHAPI president Dr. Jose Rene de Grano said in a briefing.
“Among them, majority have incomplete vaccination, while others are not vaccinated at all,” he added.
De Grano said they are also seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases among fully vaccinated individuals. However, the patients do not require hospital admissions, he said.
“In instances where we have cases involving fully vaccinated people, they are only manifesting mild and moderate symptoms,” he said.
“Usually, such cases don’t look to be admitted, especially those that only manifest mild symptoms,” he also said.
DOH data show that the COVID-19 bed and ICU bed utilization rates stood at 23.48 percent and 17.44 percent, respectively, as of July 13.
Nevertheless, De Grano said, it would be better if the public will avoid acquiring COVID-19 altogether by continuously practicing minimum public health standards and by getting vaccinated.
