Second three-day vax drive in 11 regions pushed to next week due to 'Odette'

MANILA, Philippines — The government has moved the second round of the national vaccination days program in 11 regions to next week, due to the threat of the severe tropical storm set to enter the Philippine area of responsibility on Tuesday.

Presidential Adviser for COVID response Vince Dizon confirmed this in a Laging Handa briefing. “The National Task Force opted to postpone the Bayanihan Bakunahan (program), as approved by our president, in the Bicol Region, Mimaropa region, and the whole of Visayas and Mindanao,” he said in Filipino.

This is to allow national and provincial governments to prepare for the onslaught of the several tropical storm that will assigned the name "Odette" once it enters PAR later on Tuesday.

The Bayanihan Bakunahan program in the affected areas will instead be held on December 19 to 22, Dizon said.

The three-day vaccination drive will proceed as scheduled from December 15 to 17 in the regions of Ilocos, CAR, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Metro Manila, he added.

State weather bureau PAGASA said the severe tropical storm is seen to further intensify into typhoon category. It added that the passage of Odette “over the central portion of the archipelago may bring heavy to torrential rainfall over Visayas, Mindanao, and several provinces in Southern Luzon, which may bring possible flooding and rain-induced landslides.”

Target: 54 million fully vaccinated by yearend

So far, the national government has fully vaccinated 41.5 million Filipinos or 38.07% of the population. This is still a long way from the 90% that health authorities say must be fully vaccinated to attain herd immunity. 

Dizon said that the government aims to have 54 million Filipinos complete their doses against COVID-19 by the end of 2021.

For the coming three-day vaccination drive, he explained that they are targeting to inoculate seven million Filipinos. “Many of these are for second doses so we can fully vaccinate many of our countrymen in the month of December,” he added.

During the three-day vaccination drive from November 29 to December 1, the government has administered more than eight million jabs.

As of December 13, the government has administered 97,237,440 doses, fully vaccinating 41.513 million Filipinos with 54.914 million others who are waiting for their second jabs.

The government has also started rolling out booster doses, and 809,550 individuals have so far received the additional jab. — Kristine Joy Patag