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.