Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 23) — Malacañang stands by the country’s commitment to achieve population protection within the year amid a report from a United Kingdom-based think tank saying herd immunity will only be possible in two years given the current pace of vaccination.
“Allow us to prove the think tank wrong…containment, population protection within the year,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a briefing on Wednesday.
UK think tank Pantheon Macroeconomics published a report on Monday stating that based on its current vaccination rate, the Philippines can reach herd immunity by early 2023. Around 85% have to be immunized to control the Delta variant, it added.
“The relatively slow pace of vaccination in the Philippines implies that early 2023 probably is the best the archipelago can hope for,” the report said.
The group added that the Philippines is falling behind the fight to reach the 85% herd immunity target against the Delta variant compared to other countries in “emerging Asia,” which consists of India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
However, Roque claimed the report only based its projections on the previous vaccination rate when doses were still scarce, but the report itself took into account increases in the vaccination figures since the middle of last month. It also acknowledged that supply issues in some countries were “being smoothed out.”
Pantheon’s Senior Asia Economist Miguel Chanco also contradicted another government official, saying it is still too soon for the Philippines to be preparing for the next normal.
Roque argued that vaccination efforts will ramp up as more doses come in. Recently, the country hit a new all-time high in daily vaccinations at 350,000 from the previous record of 320,000, he pointed out. With the recent plan of the private sector to lead the inoculation of its own personnel, Roque said he is confident the country can soon administer 500,000 doses a day.
The spokesman reiterated that the goal is population protection within the year. The Department of Health earlier explained that population protection means the vaccination program will prioritize nine highly dense areas: Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao – collectively known as NCR+8.
Wow. Just way, way, way too soon. At the current pace of vaccination, the #Philippines won't hit anything close to herd immunity until early 2023, even if we assume that the level of protection from prior infection is umpteenth times the official case-count. https://t.co/k5zCVE4XBB
— Miguel Chanco (@mc_economist) June 18, 2021
"Rise in Vaccination Rates Paves the Way for EM Asia to Fight the Taper" @mc_economist https://t.co/Me250WxRsF #PantheonMacro pic.twitter.com/GkYOllc4Ld
— Pantheon Macro (@PantheonMacro) June 21, 2021
