Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 26) — The National Task Force Against COVID-19 said it is set to release guidelines for vaccinating economic frontliners as the country gears up to vaccinate more Filipinos to achieve herd immunity by year-end.
NTF Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon also said during a briefing that once this is issued, immunization of essential workers, specifically those in the NCR and 8 other areas as approved by President Rodrigo Duterte, can start by June.
Earlier, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said they target to start inoculating members of the A4 and A5 (indigent sector) groups “after May,” the time when vaccine supply is expected to stabilize. However, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said the simultaneous vaccination of said clusters will initially focus on areas with number of COVID-19 cases, namely Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Pampanga, Batangas, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao, or the NCR+8.
As for the indigent group, Dizon said this will start with Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries, but local governments may be given flexibility in determining vaccinees under this category to include those who are not part of the program.
Meanwhile, two senators are urging the government to fast track its immunization program and ensure that it will hit its target to vaccinate up to 70 million Filipinos by year-end to achieve herd immunity.
“Mangangalahati na ang taon. Saan na pupulutin ang ipinagsisigawan nilang ‘better Christmas’ kung ganyan kakonti pa lang ang nababakunahan sa buong bansa?… In this current scenario, 2023 pa natin maaabot ang herd immunity,” Senator Risa Hontiveros Hontiveros said.
[Translation: It is almost the middle of the year. How will we see their declaration of a ‘better Christmas’ if only a few have been vaccinated in the country? In this current scenario, we will only achieve herd immunity by 2023.]
This is following a report by the national pandemic task force that said 4,097,425 Filipinos have been vaccinated against COVID-19, of which only 0.86% has received two shots. Average number of COVID-19 shots administered is 162,513 per day.
Hontiveros urged Health authorities to ensure adequate vaccine supply to attain daily targets and to hasten the process of granting emergency use authorization. The role of local government should also be strengthened to enhance their local inoculation programs, she added.
As for Senator Grace Poe, the urgent need to vaccinate more Filipinos will allow them to return to work.
“We must take the fast action that will allow us to not just get through COVID-19, but more crucially, gain ground that will pave the way for our sustainable growth in the coming years,”
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, unemployment rate in March was at 7.1%, translating to 3.44 million Filipinos out of work. This is lower than the 4.19 million jobless in February, equivalent to an 8.8% unemployment rate.
