Notwithstanding the unstable supply of Covid-19 vaccines, the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday expressed optimism that the target of herd immunity by November 2021 would still be achieved.
“If it’s [the delay in the vaccine supply] going to be affecting our herd immunity goals? Sa tingin ko hindi…kasi ang delay natin is just one or two weeks. Dadating na ulit ngayong linggo ang mga Sinovac vaccines at iba pang mga bakuna [For me, no…because the delay that we are experiencing is just a matter of one or two weeks. This week, Sinovac vaccines will arrive and also other vaccine brands],” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire responded to the question of the BusinessMirror during an online media forum.
Vergeire said that the country is expecting 11.5 million vaccine doses for this month according to National Task Force Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr.
“And I think, that is already enough [vaccine] supply that we need for this month,” Vergeire said.
Vaccine rollout update
As of July 11, 2021, a total of 13,196,282 doses have already been administered.
Of these, 9,669,940 have received their first doses, while 3,526,342 have already completed the required 2 doses.
The total doses administered in the 19th week of our national vaccination reached 1,488,253 doses
“To win our race against Covid-19 variants, we encourage senior citizens to get vaccinated and take their second dose as scheduled. Regardless of vaccination status, everyone is urged to continue practicing the minimum public health standards as you may still get infected with Covid-19 and infect other people,” the DOH said.
Steady supply of vaccines
Meanwhile, Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Senator Richard J. Gordon has reiterated the request to have a steady supply of vaccines to Galvez.
The request comes after PRC has administered 7,000 vaccines in Mandaluyong alone. PRC already has 23 additional vaccination centers nationwide with 1,110 staff and volunteers trained as vaccinators.
“We target to have 12 vax centers in Metro Manila and 103 in the provincial chapters,” said Gordon adding, “Right now we have five mobile buses in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu, and that is why we are requesting the government to have a steady supply of vaccines. We need to vaccinate more people and faster,” Gordon stressed.
The PRC said that the need for vaccines echoes the fear of the population of the new and more virulent variants, especially the delta variant.
It noted that since July 6 of this year, there have been 19 cases of this virus type in the country.
San Juan City ‘milestone’
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora is targeting to achieve herd immunity by end of August this year after the city reached a “milestone” of vaccinating 100 percent of their target population with the first dose of Covid-19 vaccines.
Zamora said that they were able to vaccinate 96,610 individuals or 104.15 percent of its target population as of July 12, 2021 based on the population projection of the Asian Development Bank and prescribed by the Department of Health (DOH).
The city started its vaccination program last March 6, 2021, exactly a year after the first Covid-19 local transmission was reported in San Juan City.
“Nag-usap-usap kami sabi ko sa ating Muslim brothers and sisters, to Ortigas Mall, [that] we have to close down the mall. Dito na po nagsimula na ang kalbaryo ng bawat Pilipino [I talked to our Muslim brothers and sisters at the Ortigas Mall that we have to close down the mall. This is where our agony started],” said Zamora, who was emotional, recalling the time when he was informed by the DOH of the first local transmission of Covid-19 in the Philippines that happened at Greenhills Shopping Center, the same mall where the ceremony was held on Monday.
Zamora was joined by San Juan City Rep. Ronny Zamora, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, National Action Plan against Covid-19 Deputy Chief Vince Dizon, Vice President of Ortigas Malls Arch. Renee Bacani, Vice Mayor Warren Villa, members of the City Council, several City Hall department heads, and San Juan City barangay chairpersons in announcing the breakthrough.
Duque lauded Zamora and the entire vaccination team for the feat.
Meanwhile, Dizon posed a challenge to Zamora, “29,313 or 30 percent ang fully vaccinated sa San Juan, ang aming hihilingin ni Sec. Duque ay sa loob ng buwan ng Agosto ay 100 percent na ang fully vaccinated [29,313 or 30 percent are already fully vaccinated in San Juan, what we are asking, together with Sec. Duque, is that by August, 100 percent of the people of San Juan will already be fully vaccinated].”
Zamora gladly accepted the challenge and also offered the city’s vaccination site and team to help out other Metro Manila cities once it is done vaccinating its qualified residents.
To further increase its vaccination capacity from 3,000 to 4,000 jabs per day to 5,000 jabs, another vaccination site at VMall Greenhills was also officially opened on Monday, July 12.
Mayor Zamora is confident that this will pave the way for the city to achieve 100 percent of its second dose of vaccine for residents and eventually help other cities in their vaccination program.
After the announcement, the city was awarded the “100% Vaccinated Seal” which was installed to the stalls with staff who are all fully vaccinated.
Taguig resets Sinovac administration
While San Juan may have reached a milestone, Taguig city has deferred the administration of the second doses of Sinovac on July 12 and 13 “until further notice.”
“We will resume as soon as supply becomes available. The Department of Health assured that the interval of Covid-19 vaccines is acceptable 3 to 6 months after administration of the first dose. Per National Task Force Against Covid-19 Advisory No. 62, Sinovac vaccines are expected to arrive not later than 2 weeks. We will prioritize and expedite its administration as soon as it arrives,” the Vaccination Task Force Advisory read.
In the next few days, Taguig will focus on the administration of Astra Zeneca first doses.
“We continue to work on our goal to administer 55,000 jabs this week, to achieve our target to inoculate 70 percent of our eligible population by the end of November. We are on track,” the advisory added.
To date 40.76 percent (277,191 individuals) of our eligible population have received their first dose and 18.15 percent or 123,390 Taguigueños are now fully vaccinated.
“We remind everyone to stay vigilant and observe health protocols. May we continue the spirit of trust and cooperation be tween the government, the private sector, and citizens of the City of Taguig,” the advisory said.