Don’t forget poor nations, Duque tells wealthy countries eyeing vaccine booster shots

MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday decried how wealthy countries are already eyeing booster shots for their citizens when a large sum of the world’s population has yet to receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a Palace briefing, Duque called on the United Nations and the World Health Organization to urge these wealthy countries to be considerate of low- to middle-income nations that have yet to vaccinate a significant number of its people.

“Ako po’y nananawagan sa United Nations, sa World Health Organization na pakiusapan ang mga mayayamang bansa na sa kasalukuyan, pinag-uusapan nila yung booster dose or the third dose.  Sa tingin ko, hindi tama ito dahil marami pang porsyento ng mamamayan sa buong mundo ay hindi pa nakakatanggap ni-isang dose ng COVID vaccines,” Duque said.

(I am appealing to the United Nations and the World Health Organization to urge wealthy countries who are already in talks of a booster dose or a third dose. I think this is not right because a large percentage of the world’s population has yet to receive even just one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.)

“So mangyari lang po na makinig naman sila sa sentimyento ng low- to middle-income countries na kulang na kulang pa rin ang bakuna. Mababa pa ang ating coverage,” he added.

(I hope they will listen to the sentiments of low- to middle-income countries whose vaccine supply is still lacking. We still have a low vaccine coverage.)

According to the Our World in Data project of the University of Oxford, 3.2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have so far been administered globally, with 24.2 percent of the world population receiving at least one dose.

However, Our World in Data said only 1 percent of people in low-income countries have received at least COVID-19 vaccine dose.

“Kaya tayo po ay nakikiusap, ako po ay susulat na pormal sa kanila para paalalahanan po ang mga mayayamang bansa na wag po nilang kalimutan naman ang mga mahihirap na mga bansa,” Duque said.

(That’s why we are asking, I will formally write them to remind the wealthy countries not to forget the poorer countries.)

In the Philippines, some 2.8 million individuals were already fully vaccinated or received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of July 4. The government is targeting to immunize 70 percent of its population in order to attain herd immunity by November.

EDV