A legislator said on Monday the Philippine government has to tailor its response with the mindset that COVID-19 is “here to stay” with the growing complexities of the pandemic.
Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano said “the cases can swell, it can deflate, the virus can weaken, anything can happen, but it’s certainly here to stay.”
“We’ve been caught off-guard before with Delta, now with Omicron. Other countries already define ‘fully vaccinated’ as three shots, and some are even thinking of a fourth shot,” the former Speaker added.
Cayetano said the current mindset brought about by less stringent restrictions late last year may hinder more progressive ways in dealing with the Omicron variant as well as other possible future variants of COVID-19.
Cayetano said because Filipinos are optimistic by nature, people do not think about adapting, innovating, and living with COVID-19.
Cayetano mentioned that even with no lockdowns and other restrictions, the ongoing rise in the number of cases of COVID-19 makes it a necessity for the government to provide financial assistance to everyone.
Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. of Dasmariñas City in Cavite meanwhile said “the government’s pandemic response task force should consider giving additional two doses. Some countries, notably Israel, are already administering a fourth dose on their population to increase their level of protection.”
He said Israeli officials are elated by their initial findings on the administration of a fourth shot, which their health experts have found to have significantly boosted the immunity of a vaccinated person.
“If the pandemic response task force decides to undertake a new round of vaccination, it should start with those belonging to the A1, A2 and A3 priority groups composed of health workers, senior citizens and those with comorbidity,” Barzaga said.
He added that these groups received either the Chinese-made Sinovac or the United Kingdom’s AstraZeneca, the first two vaccines available in the country during the early stage of the pandemic.
He pointed out that if health personnel, the elderly and those with comorbidity are given a third dose or a booster, it may not be sufficient to restore the protection they had when they received their full two-dose course and to shield them even from the mild omicron.
“There may be nothing to boost in a vaccinated person’s system,” Barzaga, president of National Unity Party, said.
He cited studies in Hong Kong and the Dominican Republic showing that two doses of a vaccine with lower efficacy followed by a booster did not generate enough immunity against Covid-19.
Researchers were quoted as saying that those who received a full two-dose primary course may need two additional booster shots to attain protective levels against the virus.
Barzaga said based on information he is receiving from friends, those who were vaccinated with the two-dose Sinovac are choosing AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna as their booster.
He said Sinovac is the vaccine of choice of many, who claim it does not give rise to side effects similar to those caused by western-made jabs like headache and fever.