Government targets 6 million jabs in Round 3

MANILA, Philippines — The government aims to inoculate six million people against COVID-19 during the third round of its “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” mass vaccination campaign this month, National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said yesterday.

Scheduled on Feb. 10 and 11, the third leg of the National Vaccination Day aims to reach persons aged 12 and above, especially those in economic zones, as well as provide primary doses to senior citizens and members of the indigent population.

“Our intention is to record two million
 individuals for primary doses and four million doses for boosters,”Galvez told President Duterte during a meeting of the government’s pandemic task force last Monday.

“We will recommend that we have to push for the administration of boosters to provide additional layers of protection because after three months to six months, the vaccines will have a waning effect,” he added.

Galvez said the government intends to tap volunteers from private companies, private medical clinics and school health facilities and to mobilize state agencies, medical societies and all available health care workers for the vaccination days.

He said letters have been sent to more than 36 agencies so that their employees and their dependents could be given vaccines and booster shots.

“We will also want to simplify the process and encourage more walk-ins. We will do that so that many will go during the national vaccination days,” he said.

The government and private groups held two rounds of mass vaccinations last year to increase vaccine confidence and to achieve their inoculation targets.

About eight million persons were jabbed during the first phase of the vaccination campaign last Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 while close to 7.5 million individuals were jabbed during the second round conducted from Dec. 15 to 23.

The Duterte administration aims to fully vaccinate 90 million Filipinos before it steps down on June 30. As of Feb. 7, almost 60.74 million persons have received their first dose while about 60.15 million others have been fully vaccinated. Some 8.24 million individuals have received their booster shots.

Presidential adviser for COVID-19 response Vince Dizon said the government has to raise the number of vaccinated persons to 70 million next month to achieve its inoculation targets.

“We need to further ramp this up to 70 million in March. That is why (Health) Secretary (Francisco) Duque (III) and Secretary Galvez announced that we would have national vaccination days again on Thursday and Friday, and we will have more as necessary to reach that number of 70 million in March,” Dizon said.