Trickles

The Philippines' data has finally been updated at ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations. According to the new input, 23% of the population received at least one vaccine as of Sept. 9. Almost 15% are fully vaccinated, far from the government's target of 40% by November. Translating that to numbers, more than 16 million are fully vaccinated while nine million are partially vaccinated. That number may have changed since. The data for the Philippines should be regularly updated by the government.

But according to Bloomberg's COVID Resilience Ranking Report, the Philippines ranks last among 53 countries. It is noteworthy that many countries in Southeast Asia are also at the bottom of the list. It would be nice if we weren't the last. The indicators used in the ranking include "vaccination coverage, the severity of lockdowns and restrictions, progress on restarting travel and easing border curbs, case fatality rate, and the overall mortality throughout the pandemic."

The Palace naturally responded to the report. With difficulty in acquiring vaccines, it follows that the vaccination program of the government suffers. President Duterte urged rich countries at the recent UN gathering not to hoard vaccines but to help poor countries in acquiring them. In other words, share.

There is some truth to this. The government vaccination program has substantially slowed down due to the paltry number of available vaccines. But it should also be asked how vaccines are distributed. Are there places that have yet to receive vaccines? Is the government allocating the right funding to buy the vaccine and not solely rely on donations? We hear of some government agencies receiving billions in their budget while state hospitals get a slash. I know the NCR receives a big chunk of vaccines but according to analysts, the number of cases in Metro Manila seems to be decreasing. Good news, but no reason to be complacent. The government is known to implement frequent lockdowns so we fail in that indicator.

If vaccines just trickle in, it is no surprise if we stay at the bottom of the list. Rich countries should distribute vaccines a lot more. But because the third or booster shots are becoming essential with studies showing a decrease in efficacy as time goes by, vaccines may remain stock for the respective citizens of these rich countries. COVID-19 shows no sign of giving mankind a break. New variants may be hiding in the shadows as the Delta variant continues to be the scourge of the world.