‘77% of Philippines target population fully vaccinated’

MANILA, Philippines — About 77 percent of the country’s eligible population are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to presidential adviser for COVID-19 response Vince Dizon.

“We have reached our initial target to reach 70 percent of our eligible population before the end of your term. We are happy to report, Mayor, that as of today we already hit 77 percent,” Dizon told President Duterte during a recent Talk to the People.

On the other hand, 82 percent of the target population have received their first dose of the vaccine, Dizon said.

Administration officials earlier said the government aims to inoculate 77 million Filipinos against COVID by the end of the first quarter of this year and fully vaccinate 90 million people before Duterte steps down from office next month.

Dizon said the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao registered the lowest vaccination rate at more than 50 percent.

Dizon, along with vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, is preparing for the smooth turnover of the government’s COVID response, particularly the vaccination program, to the incoming Marcos administration.

He said the challenge is to increase the number of people getting their booster shots.

“We are going to start aggressively pushing the boosters for 18 years old and above,” Dizon said.

Apart from the immunocompromised, the government also allowed a second booster for senior citizens and health workers.

Presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion earlier urged the Department of Health (DOH) to expand the coverage of COVID vaccine booster shots to include those aged 50 and above.

By doing this, Concepcion said the country could address the expiry of COVID vaccines, accelerate booster uptake and avoid a possible surge in infections amid the entry of new COVID variants.

Concepcion lamented that the DOH’s current second booster guidelines do not cover most of the working population. – Jose Rodel Clapano