EDITORIAL - Going to waste

As BA.2, the more infectious “stealth” subvariant of the Omicron strain spreads in the United States, reports yesterday said the US Food and Drug Administration would approve a second booster or fourth dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID vaccines to ages 50 and older.

Israel, which began administering a second booster of the Pfizer vaccine early this year to ages 60 and above, reported over the weekend that the additional dose lowered the mortality rate in that vulnerable group by 78 percent. The report was based on a 40-day study among more than half a million people aged 60 to 100, conducted by Israel’s largest healthcare provider.

Last month, the United Kingdom also offered a second booster to ages 75 and above as well as anyone from age 12 up who is immunocompromised.

In the Philippines, the government wants people aged 60 and older as well as the immune suppressed and those with other serious health problems to get their booster shots against COVID. As of mid-March, however, only 13 percent of the targeted segment had received boosters. Even in Metro Manila, which has the highest COVID vaccination rate, the booster uptake is only 30 percent.

Scientists have said immunity to COVID provided by vaccines wanes after a few months, and recommend a booster four months after the second primary dose. The additional protection is important as the stealth Omicron spreads in parts of Europe, the US, Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. Yesterday, Shanghai began its most extensive lockdown since the start of the pandemic to contain a COVID outbreak.

The World Health Organization has repeatedly warned that the COVID threat is far from over, and might yet be entering a deadlier phase as restrictions are eased too quickly and vaccinations fall. The WHO warning is not being heeded in the Philippines, where the sight of large political gatherings for the election campaign is giving people the impression that the pandemic is over.

While the stealth Omicron threatens to push up cases again in the Philippines, pandemic response officials are lamenting that COVID vaccines available for boosters are set to expire by June. The country is buried up to its neck in debt to finance the pandemic response, particularly for the procurement of vaccines. Every dose is precious and cannot be wasted, especially since there are still millions of Filipinos who have not received even their primary dose. The national and local governments must not be distracted by the upcoming elections in carrying out the vaccination program. Otherwise the country could face a renewed COVID surge.