WHO: Local governments must step up efforts to reach unvaccinated
MANILA, Philippines — With doses of the COVID-19 vaccine more readily available, the World Health Organization said local government units should to scale up efforts to bring vaccination services to communities and to exceed immunization targets.
In an interview Monday, acting WHO representative to the Philippines Rajendra Yadav stressed the country’s resources should go to measures that will get more Filipinos vaccinated.
"The good news is we don’t have vaccine shortage anywhere in the world. The bad news is we’re not reaching the unreached enough. That will cause intense transmission as what’s happening in other countries and create more mutations," Yadav told state broadcaster People’s Television.
"The local chief executives of places where barangays have low coverage need to step up reaching the unreached through last mile approach, which basically means using house-to-house and close-to-home vaccinations," he added.
The government earlier said it will shift its focus to conducting house-to-house and mobile immunization drives. The Philippines is seeing low COVID-19 vaccine uptake following the decline in virus cases.
More than 66.65 million people have completed vaccination against COVID-19 in the country. Of the figure, only 12.47 million individuals have received booster shots. Authorities are aiming to fully inoculate 90 million Filipinos by end-June.
The WHO official also reminded local leaders of areas with less than 70% vaccination coverage to reach and exceed that target for the primary series and booster shots.
"The only way to remain on top of COVID-19 virus and prevent its creation and transmission is to achieve very high vaccination coverage, including booster doses, and we have to do that very quickly," Yadav said.
The Philippines has confirmed over 3.6 million COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic, with 59,969 deaths.
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