A science--savvy consumer advocacy group has criticized the proposal of vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. to lower the national government's vaccination target from 70 million to just 58 million Filipinos out of the country's total population of 110 million.
"I don’t understand why Secretary Galvez is changing vaccination targets while the rest of the world is even working for 100 percent. Scientists and medical experts will surely disagree," Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya Para sa Mamamayan (AGHAM) President Angelo Palmones said on Wednesday, May 5.
"Mutations and double mutations of various COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) variants would require a more inoculated population. Why aspire for only a minimal target?" asked Palmones.
Earlier this week, Galvez, chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, pitched to President Duterte the vaccination of 58,680,803 Filipinos to achieve "herd immunity" from the deadly disease instead of the original target of 70 million.
The 58,680,803 million is 70 percent of the 83,829,719 million Filipinos that Galvez said belongs to sectors of "economic and social importance".
This means that Galvez wants to use the 83,829,719 million population of the priority areas as new baseline for herd immunity instead of the 110 million population of the country.
But Palmones said there is no reason to lower the vaccination target. "I have talked with DBM (Department of Budget and Management) Sec. Avisado who assured enough funding for vaccine procurement."
"A 90 percent herd immunity would be cheaper than spending for costlier vaccine boosters for the inoculated population. Baka magduda na ang publiko na mayroon gustong mag-negosyo sa vaccine boosters (The public might find it suspicious if someone suddenly wants to make a business out of vaccine boosters).It's also better to use money on purchasing vaccines than spend it on wage subsidy in lockdown areas," the AGHAM president explained.
At any rate, Palmones agreed with Galvez that the key to economic recovery from the public health crisis is achieving herd immunity, or the indirect protection against COVID-19 that the population can have via a high rate of inoculation.
" let’s not compromise because we can’t allow another surge or a second wave. Pagod na ang mga medical frontliners. Gutom na gutom na ang mas maraming Pilipino (The medical frontliners are exhausted. More and more Filipinos are going hungry). Galvez must stick to the target or even aim higher," the former congressman said.