(As released) If vaccines have an expiration date, then vaccine cards should, too.
This was the consensus among medical and data experts as they supported calls to hasten booster vaccinations across the country, citing waning immunity and the possibility of new variants of the SARS-CoV2 virus. They expressed their opinions during the “PCP Health Forum: Isa, Dalawa, Tatlo, Sa Bakuna ay Sigurado” organized by the Philippine College of Physicians.
“We need to have updated immunization cards,” said Dr. Maricar Limpin, president of the Philippine College of Physicians. “The tendency is for Filipinos to forget, and I think this [booster campaign] could be a good start, even for the other diseases,” pointing out that boosters are needed even for other common diseases. Boosters, she said, prevent the severe disease that leads to hospitalization and death.
“We know how important vaccines are in building the wall of immunity and moving on from the pandemic,” said Dr. Rontgene Solante, member of the Vaccine Expert Panel of the Technical Working Group for COVID-19 Vaccine as he presented data showing that the more infectious Omicron variant is now dominant; that the risk of severe disease in the elderly and the very young (less than five years old) are higher; and that there are new and already- documented variants in circulation in other countries, such as the XD/XF, and XE.
The focus on boosters followed calls by Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion to increase booster vaccinations through several measures: the redefinition of “fully vaccinated” status to include a booster dose; booster card requirements for travel, work, and overall movement in place of the vaccination card; a 60-day deadline, or around until June this year, to get booster shots; and the proposed use of booster cards in VAXCERTPH as proof of vaccination to address current backlogs and prevent proliferation of fake documents and vaccination cards.
“Walang forever sa bakuna (Vaccines don’t last forever),” said Dr. Nina Gloriani, chair of the Philippine government’s Vaccine Expert Panel. “The data is clear. We need to update the vaccination cards,” saying that as with all vaccines, getting a booster shot for Covid is important. “Vaccine cards have to have validity. That is how we should approach it,” she said.
“Having a separate card for the booster only emphasizes the importance of getting the booster,” said Dr. Limpin. “I don’t understand why there is opposition here,” she said on possible pushback on the booster card requirement. “It is important they get their booster shots.”
During the forum, Dr. Gloriani shared data that showed booster shots, or third doses, not only restored but also raised the effectiveness of vaccines across all vaccine platforms and the variants of concern that have circulated during the more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She also expressed concern that of the 65.8 million fully vaccinated persons in the Philippines as of March 30, only a little over 12 million have received booster shots. Dr. Gloriani also pointed out that the Philippines has one of the lowest boostering rates in Asia at 10.58 per 100 people.
Among the factors that the experts identified as contributing to low booster uptake is the complacency among Filipinos. “It’s normal, you tend to be complacent when things are back to normal,” said Concepcion. “There are many things we can do. We can restrict mobility or give incentives. We have done it in the past, people have criticized it, but it seems to have been effective,” he said. “We can’t force people to take the vaccine, but we can do what we have been doing in the past: restrict movement,” he said.
Dr. Limpin agreed with the proposal, saying, “We should restrict [movement] or maybe give incentives to push booster vaccinations,” in addition to fighting misinformation about vaccines.
OCTA Research’s Guido David, meanwhile, noted that the three waves in cases have shown a pattern, with a rise happening after about three months. Dr. David explained that it may have been caused by the new variants, “but one possibility is waning immunity, which may account for the increase in cases during the waves.”
Dr. David presented projections, where there may be another resurgence in cases by late April this year. “That is why it is important to continue the vaccinations and boosters,” he said.
Concepcion emphasized the urgency of the situation. “If we wait longer, the consequences will be huge,” he said, as he pointed out that the Philippines has incurred more than Php12 trillion in debt, pushing the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio past comfortable thresholds.
“If we get hit with a surge in June, which is one of the strongest months for the economy when schooling generates a lot of activity, employees have come back to the office, and there is more mobility.