Expand Covid vaccination program to manage pandemic

THE NATIONAL government needs to ramp up its Covid-19 vaccination program, health officials said, adding expanding the inoculation coverage will be immensely critical in managing the pandemic and reopening the economy.

Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the government needs to continuously increase Covid-19 primary series vaccination coverage across the country and ramp up vaccination among senior citizens and persons with underlying conditions.

“We have to prioritize vaccinating those who have not yet received a single dose of Covid-19 vaccines, especially in our provinces and other far-flung areas. Because these areas typically have lower health care capacity, it becomes more important that the people are protected from severe and critical Covid-19,” Vergeire said.

“And of course, we have to make sure that 100% of high-risk groups in our regions have received the primary series. If they remain unvaccinated, they won’t get the needed additional protection against severe Covid-19. This will lead to hospitalizations and overwhelm our health system, and consequently, lifting of restrictions will be delayed,” she added.

Vergeire said the DOH is also planning for the eventual provision of booster doses, which will continue to prioritize the health care workers and those with comorbidities, however, such rollout will only be approved once conclusive evidence of additional protection is available.

“There are many senior citizens and people with underlying conditions who have not yet received a primary vaccination series. Let us focus on protecting them first and the rest of the population, as the national government expands its vaccination program,” Vergeire said.

President Rodrigo Duterte has previously thumbed down proposals to rollout vaccine boosters in the country as the government struggles to acquire Covid-19 vaccines. He also blamed rich countries for cornering Covid-19 vaccines. (Zamboanga Post)