THE definition of a “fully-vaccinated” individual will remain to be one who has had the primary dose of a single or a two-dose shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said yesterday.
Vergeire, officer-in-charge of the Department of Health (DOH), said President Marcos Jr. has rejected the DOH proposal to include the first booster shot for one to be considered fully vaccinated.
“The President advised us against it because it will cause more confusion, especially now that more policies are being promulgated,” she said in a press conference.
Instead of redefining “fully vaccinated,” Vergeire said, the President directed the DOH to “intensify efforts to improve vaccination on the ground.”
“We may still be able to encourage them,” said added, quoting the President.
Under the DOH proposal, an individual will be considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 only if he or she has been given the primary series and a booster shot.
The proposal comes amid government’s struggle to increase coverage of the booster dose.
Based on latest data of the DOH, 72.8 million Filipinos that are fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 while about 18.6 million individuals have received their 1st booster doses.
The DOH last week said it will not reach its target of administering COVID-19 booster shots to 50 percent of the population in the first 100 days of the Marcos administration, or by October 8, because of low coverage.
The DOH target was 23 million boosted individuals in the first 100 days.
Vergeire said the DOH has asked members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to help in encouraging the public to get their booster shots.
“We asked our fellow government agencies to implement policies that will incentivize and disincentivize booster shot uptake,” she said.
For one, the Department of Tourism may require tourists to present vaccination cards that can show they have received the booster, before being allowed entry in tourist spots, she said.
The government has also asked the Department of Transportation to provide additional perks to those using public transportation and have been given booster shots.
The government will also coordinate with the Department of Labor and Employment about allowing employees to get boosted during office hours during the national vaccination week to be held later this month.
“This is what we shall be doing now. This is a phased (approach). We want to see first if this will eventually improve our coverage. We won’t tap redefinition for now,” said Vergeire.
