WHO: Philippines' COVID vaccine rollout for elderly 'unfortunate, unsatisfactory'
MANILA, Philippines — The World Health Organization on Tuesday urged the Philippines to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations on vulnerable groups, as its representative said the rollout for the elderly is "unfortunate and unsatisfactory."
Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe gave the blunt assessment at a government briefing as he announced the COVAX Facility, co-led by the WHO, would send some 10 million more doses to the country.
"We have made progress but unfortunately, the progress in the Philippines has been painfully slow," he said. "This is unfortunate, unsatisfactory."
Half a year since inoculation efforts began, Abeyasinghe said 3.6 million senior citizens have yet to receive even a single shot.
The government has put the elderly second in its priority list. Data on September 13 showed there are now 4.17 million of that age group complete with their COVID-19 shots, while 3.47 million have received an initial dose.
Abeyasinghe said protecting the most vulnerable has become more urgent as the country faces a new uptick in infections.
On coronavirus-related deaths, he said seven out of 10 also come from those about 60 years of age.
"We need to correct this as quickly as possible," he added, "because we're seeing a surge affecting many other regions in the Philippines [where] the elderly coverage is still below 40%."
Experts have said the fresh surge in coronavirus cases may be driven by the highly infectious Delta, which the WHO has said is now the dominant variant in the country.
The highest tally in the string of record-high infections was seen on September 11 with 26,303 more infections. That count is also the most number of cases reported in a day since the pandemic hit in 2020.
"We need to do better and we urge local chief executives and health authorities to prioritize and create avenues so most elderly people can be vaccinated and their lives protected," Abeyasinghe said.
Per latest government data, the number of Filipinos fully vaccinated for COVID-19 has stood at 17.07 million.
That makes up 22.14% of the government's target of up to 70 million this year. Some 22.06 million have received a first dose.
A new thread on the Philippines' vaccination program in 2021 in the government's revised objective to reach "population protection." Bookmark our COVID-19 and Vaccination Dashboard for the latest figures on the pandemic in the Philippines. — Main image: The STAR/Michael Varcas, file
The city government of Valenzuela City announces that it is temporarily suspending the use of Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 vaccines as they wait for more vaccine supplies.
ADVISORY: Pansamantalang inihinto ang pagbabakuna ng Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 vaccine sa Valenzuela habang naghihintay ng karagdagang supply. (????: Valenzuela LGU) pic.twitter.com/j4yO52jgMN
— PTVph (@PTVph) August 7, 2023
Pasig City government announces the schedule of COVID-19 vaccination in the city from July 15 until July 28.
It advises residents that first, second dose and first and 2nd booster shots are available on a first come, first serve basis in its designated vaccination sites.
Among the available vaccine brands is Sinovac for 6 years old and above. It adds that there are no Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines yet for residents age 12 and above.
Schedule ng Pagbabakuna sa Pasig City |07/25/2023-07/28/2023 | First Come, First Served Basis
— Pasig Info (@PasigInfo) July 24, 2023
Tingnan ang material para sa vaccination sites kung saan makakapagpa - 1st at 2nd dose, at 1st at 2nd booster shot; at kung ano ang mga dapat dalhin sa araw ng pagbabakuna
1/3 pic.twitter.com/yqKG0S41CM
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to lead the rollout of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccination at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City. — The STAR/Helen Flores
President Marcos will lead the launch of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccination at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City on Wednesday morning. (Photo courtesy of MPC pool) | @helenmflores pic.twitter.com/wbB2An7xgg
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) June 21, 2023
The Department of Health reminds public that they can still avail of the COVID-19 booster and bivalent booster. It reposted an infographic that determines when it is best to get the first two boosters and the bivalent booster.
Senior citizens and frontline health workers may now get their second booster shots, particularly mRNA jabs such as Moderna and Pfizer, the Department of Health announces. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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