The promising "Bakuna Bubble" set-up was was presented by Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion during the 53rd ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting as a way to reopen the economy safely amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Concepcion presented to his counterparts in other Association of Southeat Asian Nation (ASEAN) member-countries how they can strike a balance in preventing COVID-19 infections while safely recovering economically.

“It’s very clear that the unvaccinated are a risk to the economy in the sense that they have the greatest risk of getting confined in the hospital due to the virus. This is why we are proposing the vaccine bubble, or what we call in the Philippines as ‘Bakuna Bubble,’ which is aimed at protecting the family bubble and business bubble, thereby creating greater mobility for the vaccinated people in order to spur the economy,” he said.

It can be recalled that Concepcion-led Go Negosyo has spearheaded private sector procurement of COVID-19 vaccines from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, the majority of which came from Thailand.

On that note, Concepcion also asked Thailand to be a regular source of vaccines to ensure that the proposed greater mobility for vaccinated persons under the Bakuna Bubble would be sustainable. "Bakuna" is the Filipino word for vaccines.

Concepcion told the ASEAN community that it is the unvaccinated individuals who are at serious risk in terms of getting hospitalized for treatment and needing immediate medical attention, with some even falling to a critical state.

“In the Philippines, between 70 to 80 percent of those admitted and critical patients are unvaccinated. By allowing only the vaccinated to go out in high-risk areas such as business establishments, we will be able to protect the unvaccinated and lessen the surge of hospital admissions,” Concepcion said, highlighting a key facet of the Bakuna Bubble.

The proposed model only allows the fully vaccinated to create economic activity. “This is the safest way for us to open the economy while taking into consideration how to protect the unvaccinated,” he added.

“This model clearly gears up the heads of the families to ensure that their family members are fully vaccinated, likewise with the CEOs (chief executive officers) and executives of businesses to devote all effort in convincing their employees, especially the frontliners, to take the vaccine. The Transport Bubble is equally important in bridging the family and employees to their business bubble,” Concepcion said.

Concepcion also proposed holding the first ASEAN Exchange on COVID-19 where member-countries can share best practices as a way of saving lives and livelihood.