As Metro Manila and 38 other areas transitioned to the Alert level 1 status, the Department of Health (DOH) encouraged the public to recognize the importance of staying protected through vaccination and adherence to minimum health standard protocols with the easing of restrictions.
DOH made the statement on the first anniversary of the Resbakuna Program, the country’s national vaccination rollout program. DOH said that it recorded over 63 million fully vaccinated Filipinos against COVID-19. During its initial phase, the program prioritized inoculating the sectors who are at high risk of COVID-19 infection- the medical frontliners, senior citizens, and people with comorbidities. To date, data from the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) show that 93 percent of healthcare workers, 62.82 percent of our senior citizens, and 92 percent of people with comorbidities have been fully vaccinated, respectively.
As part of this feat, the country has also begun the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 years old with more than 700,000 children receiving their first COVID-19 doses.
"Coming from a peak in the number of cases in January, we now observe a decline as we realize a wider and extensive national vaccination coverage in addition to minimum public health standards," DOH said.
It added that this provides a clearer picture to what the World Health Organization (WHO) had previously envisioned in countries with high vaccination rates, as transmissions of the virus do not automatically lead to pressuring the health system and its capacity.
“With the ongoing efforts of the national government, we are confident that we will be able to reach our target population as we make the vaccination coverage wider and more accessible for everyone,” NVOC Chair and Health Undersecretary of the Field Implementation and Coordination Team (NCR and Luzon) Myrna C. Cabotaje.
The DOH continues to work towards population protection through programs such as the conduct of National Vaccination Days, Resbakuna sa Botika, and vaccination in pharmacies, primary care and occupational health clinics, as well as air, sea, and transportation terminals for the elderly and vulnerable populations.