Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said local government units (LGUs) should aim to fully vaccinate 70 to 80 percent of their citizens against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) if they want to avoid future lockdowns.
Concepcion made the statement as the National Capital Region (NCR) continued to be under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until August 20, 2021.
In his statement, Concepcion said limiting the movement of the unvaccinated people can only be possible if at least 70 percent of the population will be fully vaccinated.
"When we talk of allowing only the vaccinated to enter public places like malls and restaurants, we can only do this in an LGU once we have achieved the target of getting 70 to 80 percent vaccinations in that LGU," he said.
He added that the unvaccinated can be protected by limiting their movement to and from their homes and their workplaces and back.
The Go Negosyo founder said creating these bubbles for fully vaccinated people would enable certain places to be lockdown-free, therefore giving a chance for businesses to recover.
He added that with the increasing numbers of vaccinations in the NCR and across the country, the number of these bubbles can increase and eventually lead the country to have enough lockdown-free areas that can move on to the recovery phase.
"Whatever action we take should be toward moving to allow an environment to be lockdown-free. We should aim for a future that is lockdown-free for the whole country," Concepcion said.
He added that the country needed to learn from what other nations are doing to protect the unvaccinated.
Concepcion, in particular, cited large cities in other countries like New York City where vaccinations were mandated for a range of indoor gatherings in order to encourage increased immunizations. In Indonesia, which suffered one of the worst outbreaks of COVID-19, some malls have reopened, but only for vaccinated customers.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Eric Domingo had said in reports that unvaccinated individuals have a higher risk of getting sick from COVID-19 and may even die compared to those fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Concepcion said the decision on community quarantine classifications in the country should be guided by data, specifically the number of daily recorded COVID-19 cases and hospital utilization rates.
He noted that these steps must be taken in order to protect the unvaccinated.
Data-based
Concepcion and Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. agreed that the arrival of more vaccines starting September until the end of the year will be important in getting enough supply for NCR to achieve the crucial level of vaccination rates for the region.
Other factors that have to be considered are the current capacity of the country’s healthcare system and the supply of ventilators and oxygen tanks in hospitals.
"These should be taken into consideration in making decisions because how we decide at this point will ultimately affect how fast the economy can safely recover by the end of the year," Concepcion said.
He reiterated that the fourth quarter is when consumer spending is expected to increase. It is also a chance for businesses that suffered through the pandemic to recover lost business.
Lockdowns
Concepcion, however, believed that lockdowns, although difficult, were sometimes necessary if the country's economy is to recover in the fourth quarter of 2021.
The Go Negosyo previously expressed his support of stricter lockdowns prior to the announcement of the current ECQ status of the NCR, which started last August 6.
"We have locked down three times already. Nobody likes lockdowns. With the efforts of the private sector, LGUs and IATF, our massive vaccination drive will put an end to lockdown," Concepcion said.