THE government yesterday called the attention of cities and provinces in the country which it said need to ramp up their administration of booster shots to step up the protection of families against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., during the Talk to the People address of President Duterte on Tuesday night, said the areas include the 16 cities and one municipality in the National Capital Region (NCR); the cities of Angeles, Mabalacat, San Fernando in Pampanga; the cities of Meycauayan and San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, and the provinces of Bataan and Tarlac in Central Luzon (Region III); Antipolo City in Rizal; the cities of Batangas, Sto. Tomas and Tanauan in Batangas province; Cabuyao City in Laguna; and the cities of General Trias, Imus, Lia, San Pablo, Tagaytay, and Trece Martires in Cavite, which are in the Calabarzon (Region IV-A).
Galvez also listed Baguio, Vigan, Laoag, Dagupan, Urdaneta, San Fernando, Tuguegarao, Santiago, Cauayan, Legazpi in Luzon; Roxas, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, Lapulapu, Mandaue, Miglanilla, Tagbilaran, Dumaguete, Ormoc and Tacloban in the Visayas; and Zamboanga, Dipolog, Ipil, Cagayan de Oro, Ozamiz, Davao, Kidapawan and Butuan in Mindanao.
“We just have to remind the key cities which have more than 70 percent to 100 percent vaccination coverage. We need to revisit the realities that our people’s protection should be further expanded and enhanced through the administration of boosters,” Galvez said.
He that while the government continues to prioritize the administration of the primary series of the single-dose or two doses of vaccines, it is also promoting the administration of the third shots for the immunocompromised sector and the booster shots for the fully vaccinated.
Galvez said the country has already received more than 210 million doses of vaccines.
As of January 4, 110.089 million jabs have been administered nationwide with 57.25 million as first dose and 2.2097 million as booster shots. More than 50.6 million are fully vaccinated.
Galvez said among the vaccinated are the eight million aged 12 to 17 who received their first dose and 5.7 million who are fully vaccinated. Minors are not eligible for a booster.
He said the government is also determined to find and vaccinate some 2.5 million unvaccinated senior citizens.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, in a briefing yesterday, reassured the public that there are enough vaccines to administer either as primary shots or booster shots.
“Let’s take advantage of increasing the vaccination in the regional areas. While we’re seeing a surge here in Metro Manila and the nearby provinces, we have to push for more vaccinations happening in the other regions outside of Metro Manila and Calabarzon,” Nograles said in mixed English and Filipino.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Edsel Salvaña emphasized that although Omicron may be associated with milder symptoms for those who are fully vaccinated, it can still lead to severe or critical disease for the unvaccinated.
President Duterte, on Tuesday night, said those who refused to get vaccinated against the virus should just “stay home” or risk being arrested and jailed.
Duterte said barangay officials should identify the unvaccinated and tell them to stay home or those who are caught outside should be escorted home.
“Kung lumabas ka, you will be escorted… If you force the issue, the barangay captain can place you under arrest and dalhin ka sa estasyon (If you leave you will be escorted. If you force the issue, the barangay captain can place you under arrest and bring you to a police station),” he said.
The President reiterated that those who refused be vaccinated are at higher risk of contracting severe COVID-19 which could worsen with complications and lead to death.
NATIONAL VAX DAY FOR SENIORS
With the elderly sector yet to meet its target coverage, the Department of Health (DOH) is now looking to conduct a National Vaccination Day for senior citizens.
In an online media forum, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they are looking to inoculate more people aged 60 years old and above, including giving them booster shots.
“(This is to better reach) those who have completed their primary series first and second doses. We are also pushing for a more aggressive booster for the said group,” he added.
This, he said, is in addition to their continued efforts to inoculate as many qualified individuals as possible.
“We need to further encourage everyone to get their primary series and booster doses at the soonest possible time,” said Duque.
To note, there are a total of 8,254,531 senior citizens targeted for COVID-19 vaccines. But as of January 4, there are only 5,669,493 fully vaccinated senior citizens.
In addition, only 582,318 elderly individuals have received their booster shots.
The national government is looking to fully inoculate at least 77,139,058 individuals in the country.
DIY TEST KIT
Amid the threat of the Omicron variant, Duque said the DOH is looking into the possibility of allowing self-administered antigen testing for COVID-19. “The self -administered tests, the demand is really great for this, admittedly,” said Duque.
“We are now waiting for the recommendation of our Technical Advisory Group of Experts,” he added.
Once approved by experts, the health chief said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be tasked to amend the Certificate of Product Registration (CPRs) on approved antigen test kits.
“I’ve prompted them to make sure that the CPR of the currently available antigen test kits will be revised to include the home conduct, home testing using antigen test kits,” said Duque.
“Now, it’s still being done mostly officially in a laboratory setup,” he added.
He said the extensive evaluation is necessary to ensure the accuracy of the test result interpretation.
“Self-administered antigen testing will help. It has its limitations, so it has to be done correctly. The public will have to be educated on how to do it correctly,” he said, adding: “There is a need for guidelines in order to avoid wrong interpretation of results of the self-administered antigen test kits.”
To note, FDA-approved antigen test kits may only be used while being supervised by healthcare professionals.
Currently, there are still no FDA-approved self-administered home kits.
VACCINE INCENTIVE
Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas has filed a bill seeking to give a one-time P15,000 cash assistance to fully vaccinated families.
Vargas said the measure seeks to fight vaccine hesitancy, which continues to hamper government’s efforts to control COVID-19, especially in the face of the growing threat of the Omicron variant.
House Bill No. 10644 or the “Ayuda sa Bakuna” bill seeks to introduce the cash assistance program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), on top of the agency’s ongoing social amelioration activities.
“This measure not only alleviates the sufferings of our fellow Filipinos in this two-year global pandemic, it also helps solve the problem by encouraging science-backed vaccination and accelerating our achievement of herd immunity,” the bill said.
The measure prioritizes the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable sectors of our communities, which includes senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and persons with comorbidities.
The program will, however, cover all eligible Filipino families, as long as living and qualified members have complied with the government’s prescribed vaccination program.
The national government failed to meet its target of fully vaccinating 54 million Filipinos by the end of 2021, but officials have expressed confidence that they will meet their goal this month.
In December, the DOH identified five regions with low vaccination rates. These are Regions 3 (Central Luzon), 4A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“Vaccines save lives. Our nation’s strong vaccination drive has already shown that. Our Ayuda sa Bakuna program reflects the Filipino people’s values of bayanihan and damayan: to defeat COVID-19 and take back our normal lives from this virus, we need to help each other. We need to make sure that no one gets left behind,” Vargas said.
SWAB CAB
Vice President Leni Robredo yesterday announced the return of the Office of the Vice President’s Swab Cab services, where citizens can avail of free mobile antigen testing service.
In a Facebook post, Robredo said that the Swab Cab, in partnership with the local government of Quezon City, OVP’s Angat Buhay, and UBE Express rolled out yesterday and was stationed at Tandang Sora Avenue corner Visayas Avenue Extension in Quezon City.
Robredo also called for medical, licensed mental health professional and non-medical volunteers for the Bayanihan E-Konsulta, the free teleconsultation service she launched when there was a surge in COVID-19 cases in April last year.
Volunteers will work remotely and must have their own gadgets and internet connection. — With Gerard Naval and Wendell Vigilia
