Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday, Feb. 7 that the majority of those who have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were unvaccinated.
During the President's pre-recorded public address, he asked Duque what percentage of those who have died from COVID-19 were unvaccinated. The health secretary answered that 93 percent of the deaths involve those who were not vaccinated at all against COVID-19.
He did not mention the specifics of the data he shared and added that 85 percent of the severe and critical cases are also unvaccinated.
In the data released by the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, it said that a total of 7,620 severe and critical cases and 6,254 COVID-19 deaths were reported from Nov. 5, 2021 to February 6 this year.
The report showed that 71.8 percent of the severe/critical cases and 77.4 percent of the COVID-19 deaths are among unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals.
Moreover, among the admissions, severe and critical symptoms are 1.63 times more likely to
occur among non-fully vaccinated individuals compared to fully vaccinated individuals, while death from COVID-19 is 2.08 times more likely in non-fully vaccinated individuals.
"Consistent with scientific evidence, COVID-19 vaccines continue to protect against severe illness and death. Vaccination is still the country's long-term solution against the consequences brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic," DOH said.
"When we avail of the vaccines proven to be safe and effective made available
by the government, we do not just protect ourselves, we also protect our communities," it added.