Only 12% of 9.4M elderlies vaccinated
WITH about 8 million senior citizens yet to be given COVID-19 vaccine shots, the Department of Health yesterday called for a more aggressive vaccination drive for those aged 60 years and older.
“We need to find these elderly people so that we can immediately inoculate them and prevent hospitalization and death from this age group,” Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said in a radio interview.
The seniors belong to the A2 priority group of the national vaccination derive which started on March 1.
“We are still far off from our target so we really need to be aggressive in finding them and inoculating them,” Vega said.
Of the 9.4 million senior citizens, only about 1.2 million have been given their first doses while at least 195,900 have had their second dose.
“This is a big population group that is highly vulnerable, and we are merely in the 12 percent coverage,” said Vega.
Earlier, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) ordered a faster vaccination of those in priority groups A1 (healthcare workers), A2 (elderly), and A3 (people with comorbidities).
The IATF-EID even ordered the establishment of special lanes in vaccination centers for those under A1 to A3 priority groups.
The order comes as the national government is already set to start inoculating the A4 priority group, or those frontline personnel in essential sectors.
Vega said workers 40 years and older must be included in the A4 group.
“Those who are working and are more than 40 years old, they should be given priority among the A4 sector. This is because the older ones are more vulnerable to COVID-19,” said Vega.
As of May 25, the DOH has administered some 4.5 million vaccine doses, of which about 3.5 million are first doses.
The national government said individuals, who fall under the A4 priority group, are set to be vaccinated against COVID-19 beginning next month.
Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said Novavax Inc., a company based in Maryland in the US, and Arcturus Therapeutics, based in San Diego in California, are interested in putting up plants in the country to develop COVID-19 vaccines.
The two are looking at Clark in Pampanga as a possible site for their laboratories and manufacturing plants, he said.
Romualdez said Novavax has an agreement with vaccine maker Serum Manufacturing Institute ng India, but the former also wants to put up a plant in the Philippines.
Arcturus, he said, is developing Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines and is eyeing to penetrate the Asian market for the COVID-19 jab.
Romualdez previously said that Manila and Washington are seeking possible partnership to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines in a bid to speed up local access and amid the limited global supply.
He said the possible partnership was among issues discussed between Filipino and US officials early this month.
Over 50,000 PNP and Bureau of Fire Protection personnel will be deployed for the vaccination of the A4 category next month, according to Interior Secretary Eduardo Año.
Año said the police and fire personnel will provide support and security to the national vaccination program.
The DILG said 49,255 of the personnel will come from the PNP — 35,415 of them will secure the transport of the vaccines throughout the country and 13,840 will secure vaccination sites.
It said 2,390 firemen and firewomen and 356 emergency medical units from the BFP will secure 1,150 warehouse or cold storage and vaccination sites. It said the BFP has prepositioned 733 trucks and 59 ambulances.
“Our DILG uniformed personnel will not only secure the vaccines but those with medical backgrounds will also be assigned to do medical tasks in our vaccination sites all over the country,” Año said.
Año cited the importance of getting vaccinated in ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mass vaccination will be a big challenge to the government but with the help of our uniformed personnel, we aim to get as many of our countrymen and women vaccinated as efficiently and as soon as possible. This is the only way for us to put an end to this pandemic,” Año said.
“Mass vaccination will be a big challenge to the government but with the help of our uniformed personnel, we aim to get as many of our countrymen and women vaccinated as efficiently and as soon as possible. This is the only way for us to put an end to this pandemic,” Año said.
Año said the government is not yet ready to grant “special privileges” to people who have completed vaccination, like in other countries which have vaccinated a huge part of their population.
In the Philippines, Año said only a small percentage of the population has been inoculated, thus the government is treating everyone equally.
Año said the technical working group of the IATF-MEID is in the process of studying privileges that can be given to vaccinated individuals, like travel without having to go through testing and quarantine.
Justices and judges, and other officials and employees of the Judiciary, were given “special privilege leaves” on the days of their vaccination for the first and second doses.
The leaves would not be deducted against their leave credits.
The grant, which was approved by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo on May 19, would apply retroactively to Judiciary employees who were earlier vaccinated. — With Ashzel Hachero and Victor Reyes
