INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año yesterday said the government giving attention to Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim (BARMM) in terms of COVID-19 vaccination due to the low vaccination rate in the region.
Año, a key member of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infections Diseases, noted that the vaccination rate in BARMM was only at 30 percent.
“First of all, BARMM has the lowest (vaccination rate). It’s just at 30 percent,” said Año, adding a lot of work needs to be done in the region so it can get to the level of other regions.
Año said barangay halls in Mindanao have been turned into vaccination sites to bring the vaccines closer to the people and to convince them to get inoculated.
Año said the government is also giving attention to the vaccination of individuals who are living in far-flung areas.
He said people living in isolated areas being transported by the military and the police to and from the vaccination sites to increase the vaccinate rate in the provinces.
The government has extended its third “Bayanihan Bakunahan.” The third leg of the massive vaccination drive was supposed to be conducted only on February 10 and 11 but it was extended until February 18.
Officials earlier said they were hoping to vaccinate five to six million people during the national third vaccination drive, including those aged five to 17, and those who are due for booster shots.
Only around 1.3 million people were vaccinated during the February 10 to 11 drive.
Año said about 34 million of the 100 million eligible individuals have yet to be vaccinated, including minors aged five to 17 years.
Dr. Nina Gloriani, head of the Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP), said government must continue to come up with measures to intensify its vaccination drive after Stage 3 of the Bayanihan, Bakunahan failed to reached its target of five million to six million jabs, a vaccine expert panel said yesterday.
She acknowledged some local government units (LGUs) have deployed mobile vaccine facilities to bring the vaccines to those who cannot leave their homes such as the elders and those with comorbidities while other LGUs pick up their unvaccinated constituents from their homes and bring them to vaccine sites.
Some 130.74 million vaccine doses have been administered throughout the country. More than 61 million are now fully vaccinated while 8.71 million have received their booster.
Bravo reiterated that there is no discussion yet for a possible second booster for the general public. She said it is allowed, however, for those who are immunocompromised as their primary series include three jabs and not two.
Bravo also said that there are no new vaccines being reviewed by the VEP which has started to wrap it work and prepare for the transition and transfer of functions to the Food And Drug Authority (FDA).
She said pending is the evaluation of the pediatric formulation or vaccine for kids ages five to 11 years from Sinovac. She said the VEP has requested for more documents from Sinovac which has yet to submit them. — With Jocelyn Montemayor