The Department of Health said Monday deaths and serious outcomes were more likely to happen among unvaccinated individuals compared to those fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said out of the 216,074 total COVID-19 cases admitted in health facilities from March 1 to November 14, at least 93.49 percent of those who died were not fully vaccinated.
Vergeire said deaths are 2.6 times more likely among the unvaccinated, while severe and critical symptoms are 1.75 times more likely to occur among the unvaccinated compared to those fully vaccinated.
“Vaccination will be the key in continually reducing our deaths,” she said
39% of target fully inoculated
Around 33.3 million individuals or 39 percent of the eligible population in the country are fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, the Department of Health said.
Vergeire said the DOH had yet to decide if the boosters would be included in this inoculation drive from November 29 to December 1.
“We are doing this to increase the number of fully vaccinated individuals in our country before the Christmas season. Our real target is those who are not yet vaccinated,” she said.
Include inmates in vax drive—DOJ
The Department of Justice will ask the National Task Force Against COVID-19 for the inclusion of some 31,000 unvaccinated persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) to be part of the government’s 15 million people targeted to be vaccinated during the three-day “Bayanihan, Bakunahan.”
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said PDLs detained in various penal farms should be among the beneficiaries of the government’s mass vaccination scheduled next week.
Some of the elderly PDLs reportedly have ailments, Guevarra said.
PH seeks more Sputnik Light vax
The Philippines is negotiating with the Russian government for more doses of single-shot Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine to enable the country to continue ramping up its vaccine throughput.
“Maybe our Russian counterparts will come here. The good thing is the price is very affordable. We have some inkling that we can negotiate 10 to 20 million doses of Sputnik Light, for next year’s booster shots,” said National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
Galvez was one of the Philippine government officials who welcomed the arrival of the 5,000 doses of Sputnik Light vaccine donated by the Russian government, as well 2.8 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine over the weekend.
