The World Health Organization (WHO) representative to the Philippines on Friday expressed worries that more than 2.5 million senior citizens in the country have not received even a single COVID-19 vaccine shot.
“Vaccinating these older people is one of the effective ways [to save] lives during this pandemic,” said Dr. Rajendra Prasad Yadav in an interview with CNN Philippines.
He renewed his appeal to local government units to convince their constituents, especially seniors and those with co-morbidities to get their jabs.
“We also encourage and appeal to the governors and mayors to do everything in their power to vaccinate our priority groups,” he said.
At the same time, he commended the Philippines’ effort to vaccinate around 70 percent of its eligible population.
At present, nearly 60 million Filipinos have completed their COVID-19 vaccination. However, only 8 million have availed of their booster dose.
The Department of Health (DOH) announced on Friday the third phase of its vaccination drive has been extended until Friday next week, Feb. 18.
The vaccination drive was initially scheduled from Feb. 10 to 11.
“We are extending our Bayanihan, Bakunahan III program until next week,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in Filipino at an online briefing.
“We are urging each and every one to get vaccinated with our primary series or get booster shots to achieve maximum protection on our way to the new normal,” she said.
Vergeire said 662,318 Filipinos were vaccinated during the first day of the vaccination drive, of which 442,346 were primary doses.
A total of 219,972 people were also given booster shots.
Vergeire said the government remains hopeful it will reach the 5 million target.
Earlier, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) urged employers in the private sector to allow their employees to accompany their children for vaccination without considering them absent.
The DOH said 52,262 minors aged 5 to 11 have been inoculated against COVID-19 since the vaccination program for this age group began on Feb. 7.
Of these, only four children experienced mild adverse effects following immunization, such as pain at the injection site, rashes, a slight increase in blood pressure, fever, and vomiting.
Vergeire said the minors immediately recovered.
She assured parents that the vaccination sites were prepared to address whatever adverse effects their children might experience after receiving their jab.
Vergeire said children below 5 years old had the highest case fatality rate among the pediatric age groups from March 2021 up to January 2022, aside from December 2021.
Meanwhile, Vergeire stressed that the Health Department never mandated parents to vaccinate their children.
“This is purely voluntary, we are asking for the consent and the assent of kids,” she said.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has also said that parental consent is still necessary after the government removed the provision that the state may give the necessary consent for the vaccination of minors aged 5 to 11 years old.
Vergeire said the DOH is also reviewing COVID-19 policies for the vaccination of adolescents aged 12 to 17.
Because science is evolving and there are many things happening each day so it is possible we may change the policy,” she said.