MANILA, Philippines — The government will implement adjustments in its vaccination program against COVID-19 to accelerate the administration of booster shots and the inoculation of senior citizens, a Department of Health official said Monday.
DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, who heads the National Vaccination Operations Center, said some 3.44 million individuals were immunized during the third round of the national vaccination days, failing to meet the target of inoculating five million people.
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“We will change strategies. We will improve some of our advocacies because some people are difficult to convince to get vaccinated even if there’s a decline in vaccine hesitancy,” Cabotaje told state broadcaster People’s Television in Filipino.
She said that around three million people were due to receive boosters during the government’s massive vaccination activity this month, but some individuals do not realize the “urgency” to get an additional layer of protection against the virus.
To address this, the government will bring inoculation sites closer to people and adjust the vaccination drive “by area and by sector” to accommodate workers, the health official said.
Senior citizens
Cabotaje reported that 2.4 million senior citizens remain unvaccinated against the respiratory illness.
“It’s not because of vaccine hesitancy. Some refuse to get vaccinated because they say they will die anyway. They do not understand that if they get sick, their family members will also be affected,” she said.
Making the vaccination process simpler could encourage old people to get inoculated, she said.
Cabotaje also said that authorities are studying ways to increase immunization coverage among Muslims.
“We’ve been talking with the imams, minister of health, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao officials, local chief executives. We help one another. Let’s find ways to ramp up vaccination in Muslim areas,” she said.
Since March 2021, over 62 million Filipinos have completed vaccination against COVID-19.