For most of the past year, the
Philippines along with the rest of the world could only hunker down and endure
as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe. Hope lay in various pharmaceutical
companies and laboratories in various countries that were developing vaccines
for the virus. These vaccines were introduced between late 2020 and early 2021,
with vaccination programs in this country officially started by March. Due to
limited vaccines however, government agencies were forced to classify
recipients by priority, from front-line workers to the elderly and so forth.
Over six months later however, strict prioritizing has loosened up.
The Philippine Star reports that as of this past Monday, October 11,
vaccination against COVID-19 in the Philippines is now open to the general
adult population, with walk-in visits to vaccine sites no longer requiring
appointments. This was announced by the Department of Health (DOH) in a virtual
government briefing by Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergere. She cites the
now-sufficient supplies of COVID shots now available in the country, according
to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. “We are announcing the start of COVID-19
vaccination on general adult population,” Vergere said. Seven COVID vaccine
brands are already deployed for local vaccination use.
As of the latest tally, just
about more than 50 million doses of COVID vaccine have been administered across
the Philippines, with 26.7 million given as a recipient’s first dose and 23.3
million as the second and completing dose. General adult vaccination was given
the go-ahead back in September 30 by the COVID Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).
Nevertheless, even with the wider availability the DOH is still reminding local
government units overseeing vaccine sites to maintain priority for senior
citizens and recipients with medical comorbidities, as they remain highly
vulnerable to severe cases of COVID that might also require hospitalization.
In addition to throwing open the
door for all adults to get their shots against COVID, the DOH is also making
preparations for a pilot program to test vaccination in minors aged 12 to 17.
Should this pull through, then minors in that age bracket with co-morbidities
will be grouped with their older fellow sufferers in the A3 priority
classification. Other minors without those complications will be with the priority
C classification. The A categories (1-5) covered front-liners, government leaders,
seniors, co-morbid, and indigenous peoples while priority B (1-5) applied to
teachers, government rank-and-file employees, essential business workers and
OFWs.
Monday saw 8,292 new confirmed cases
of COVID in the Philippines, adding to the total of 2,674,814 Filipinos who
have been touched by the pandemic.
Image courtesy of Manila Bulletin
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