Ramp up vaccination to reach 2021 target – official

Vaccination against COVID-19 needs to be implemented in some parts of the country for the Philippines to reach its target of vaccinating 54 million Filipinos by 2021, the head of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) said Tuesday.

Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, who is also the head of the NVOC, appealed to local governments in areas not devastated by Typhoon Odette to impose vaccinations in the coming days.

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“Kailangan doble, tripleng effort, especially in many areas. Babawian natin ‘yung mga hindi nagbabakuna doon sa mga areas na hindi nasalanta ng bagyo, kagaya ng Region 3 and 4A,” said Cabotaje, who referred to Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions.

“Sana humataw pa sila at marami pa silang hindi mabakunahan, para ‘yung hindi magbabakuna, ay ma-offset naman,” he said.

Cabotaje admitted that it would be difficult for the country to reach 54 million before the end of the year, but they remain optimistic about it.

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Many regions in the country have not been able to continue vaccinating against COVID-19 after Typhoon Odette struck last week in the Visayas and parts of Mindanao.

Ramp up vaccination to reach 2021 target – official

The National Task Force Against COVID_19 will not push the local governments affected by the typhoon to resume vaccination to focus on relief and rehabilitation efforts immediately.

According to the latest data, only 44.2 million individuals have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Philippines. That means more than 9 million more will need to be injected in the remaining ten days of the year.

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Of the 7 million individuals targeted in the second round of the national COVID-19 vaccination drive, only 3.7 million have been vaccinated as of Monday, according to NVOC data.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez once again called on the public to get vaccinated and not underestimate the threat of the more contagious omicron variant.

In Texas, the United States, the first death connected to the omicron variant was recorded in a man who was not vaccinated.

“With the advent na andito na ang omicron, we need to prepare,” said Galvez.

According to vaccine expert panel chairperson Dr. By Gloriani, their panel with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already submitted a recommendation to shorten the interval between the second dose of COVID-19 and booster shot.

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