Gov't mulls another 3-day vax drive in mid-December
MANILA, Philippines — The national government is considering another three-day national vaccination run from December 15-17, the Palace said Wednesday amid fears of the newly-discovered Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Speaking in an interview aired over ABS-CBN News Channel, acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said that this decision came after the vaccination numbers of the first day of the national drive in November fell short of the target of three million per day.
According to data from the Philippine National Police, some 3.6 million have been vaccinated in the national vaccination program's three-day drive so far in over five thousand vaccination centers across the country.
"We're still finalizing that, but the reason for all of this is to add the defense against Omicron and whatever variants there are. The numbers we saw in the [case] report earlier were very good...it's going down, and we're hoping this will continue so we can go to the new normal way of living," he said in mixed Filipino and English.
Day one of the three-day campaign hit 2.55 million vaccinees out of the targeted three million. This, after the national government already downgraded its total target from 15 million to 9 million before the three days.
"Today we're still waiting for the numbers, but we are quite optimistic that we will hit near the target," Nograles said.
This comes after the Department of Health reported in its daily tally on Tuesday afternoon the lowest daily increase and lowest positivity rate among tests in 2021.
No cases of the Omicron variant, which has since been designated as a variant of concern, have been detected in the country yet, but health experts have said that it is just a matter of time.
"It means that it's still working. There is a lot that we can push for the people who are encouraged to get vaccinated," Nograles said. "The idea really is to continue to ramp up [vaccination.]"
The Cabinet Secretary also said that malls and establishments may decide on their own whether or not to require customers to wear face shields inside.
“It’s on the discretion of the establishment because sometimes the establishments might believe that it’s better protection for their customers, their clientele and their employees, so it’s really up to them,” he said.
To date, health authorities have recorded 2.8 million cases of the pathogen in the Philippines. — Franco Luna
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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