Robredo calls to speed up vaccinations as more variant cases detected
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday urged government to ramp up vaccination efforts as more cases from COVID-19 variants were detected in the country.
The call came after the Department of Health reported 16 new cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant last week. Some 34 in total of the infections had already recovered, while one had died.
Robredo in her weekly radio show stressed that improving inoculations are now more crucial as neighboring countries Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand are seeing a surge in cases due variants.
"Our vaccination numbers have improved," she said in Filipino over dZXL. "But we should be faster so we get ahead of these variants coming in."
Some 5.78% or 4,047,792 of the target population have completed their two doses as of July 14, per government figures.
There are now also 14.32% or 10,026,722 who received their initial shot. Officials are looking to vaccinate up to 70 million this year.
As additional cases from the variants were reported, so too did new vaccine doses reached the Philippines.
That includes 3.2 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's single shot jab, a donation from the United States coursed through the COVAX Facility.
Robredo said these doses should be sent to areas where the Delta variant has been detected, such as Northern Mindanao, Western Visayas, and Metro Manila, to name a few.
"The good thing here is it is only one dose unlike others where you still need another," she said, still in Filipino. "If they use up all the doses, that's also 3.2 million individuals fully vaccinated."
"My suggestion is prioritize areas where there is danger of having a local transmission of the Delta variant," Robredo added.
The vice president also sought for additional support to the Philippine Genome Center.
She noted that the institution had to prioritize samples from hotspot areas due to limited capacity in screening for possible variant cases.
"It means there could be more than 35 Delta cases undetected," she said. "So they need more support as some individuals could be going around who are not tested."
Apart from the Delta, authorities said there are also 21 active cases of the Beta variant, or that first detected in South Africa.
Some 20 active cases of the Alpha variant, first seen in the United Kingdom, also remain.
A thread on new variants of SARS-CoV-2 reported in the Philippines.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) rallies all local government units (LGUs) "to be more vigilant and reinforce measures against COVID-19 to impede the projected increase in cases until the end of the year."
DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos says: “Kami po ay nananawagan sa ating LGUs na bantayang mabuti ang mga kaso ng COVID sa kanilang nasasakupan. We are still in a pandemic and we count on our local officials to lead this war, especially in the coming months where alarming numbers of COVID-19 cases are projected.
He calls on LGUs "to fortify their measures against COVID-19, following the DOH’s recent projection of increase in COVID-19 cases in NCR by October, which can even extend to other parts of the country until the end of the year."
The Department of Health announces the detection of 12 new local cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19, bringing the total to 47. Six from Central Luzon, three from Metro Manila, two from Calabarzon and one from Bicol Region.
All Delta cases have been tagged as recovered, but their outcomes are being validated by our regional and local health offices. — Christian Deiparine
The Department of Health says it has confirmed 16 cases of the Delta variant in the Philippines. Of those case, 11 are considered local transmissions.
Another nine UK variant cases of COVID19 were detected in Kalinga prompting the Kalinga Provincial Health Office to reiterate to the public to maintain vigilance and strictly compliance to health protocols.
According to the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit of the Center for Health Development Cordillera, the newly identified cases were from the five towns, one each from Rizal, Pasil, Tanudan and Lubuagan. Four cases meanwhile were detected in Kalinga's capital, Tabuk City.
Kalinga has logged a total of 19 UK variant cases since it got into the country last January 2021. — The STAR/Artemio Dumlao
The Department of Health announces new cases of the following variants detected in the Philippines:
- 1 B.1.617.2 (Indian) variant,
- 104 B.1.1.7 (UK) variant
- 137 B.1.351 (South Africa) variant,
- 4 P.3 variant
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