Gov’t eyes extension of 4th COVID-19 ‘Bayanihan, Bakunahan’ drive

MANILA, Philippines — The government is eyeing to extend the fourth leg of the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” drive after it reached only less than 50 percent of the target population to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the chairperson of the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) said Saturday.

NVOC chairperson and Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said the government has administered only 836,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses, including booster shots, during the vaccination drive from March 10 to 12.

The government was aiming to vaccinate a total of 1.8 million individuals during the initiative.

“Ang pinag-u-usapan namin, kung i-e-extend natin (We are discussing if we should extend it),” Cabotaje said at the Laging Handa public briefing.

“Nakapagbakuna tayo ng 836,000 cumulative doses or 44.49 percent ng ating target at karamihan dito ay second dose at booster doses. So nakita natin, mababa ang ating coverage ng senior although ang ating mga regional offices at LGUs (local government offices) ay gumawa ng iba’t-ibang strategy para ilapit ang bakuna sa ating mga mamamayan,” she said.

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(We have administered 836,000 doses, or 44.49 percent of our target, and most of these are second and booster doses. We saw that the vaccination coverage for seniors is low, although our regional offices and LGUs have implemented different strategies to bring vaccines to them.)

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Cabotaje said there is low uptake in the number of seniors who get booster shots because they believe that they already have protection from two vaccine doses and because COVID-19 cases are already low.

Some, she added, believe they don’t need vaccines because their advanced age anyway. Cabotaje acknowledged that the government should implement more innovative and creative strategies to vaccinate more people, and increase advocacy efforts.She warned that although COVID-19 cases are low, dangerous COVID-19 variants may still emerge and threaten the health of people, especially senior citizens.

Immunity from the primary series of vaccination also wanes over time.

She also stressed that all members of Filipino families who are eligible for vaccination should be protected.

“Kailangan po natin tanggapin na may banta pa rin ng COVID-19 at variants nito kahit mababa na ang kaso. Nandyan ang Deltacron. Huwag nating bigyan ng pagkakataon na magaya tayo sa ibang bansa na napuno ang mga hospital na hindi pa kumpleto ang bakuna,” she said.

(We should remember that there is still a threat from COVID-19 and its variants even if cases are low. The Deltacron variant is there. Let us not be like other countries where hospitals were packed with incomplete COVID-19 vaccination.) RELATED STORIES: 4th drive will prioritize remote areas with low COVID vax rate

Fourth national vaccination drive tentatively set on Mar. 10-12

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