The Department of Health (DOH) said it is revising its Covid-19 booster coverage target during the first 100 days of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
This after the booster uptake remains slow, said DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire. Initially, the DOH planned to inoculate 50 percent of the eligible population for first booster shots by Oct. 8. Currently, they lowered it to just 30 percent.
"Now we have a total of 18.8 million already who are boosted with the first booster shot. This is about almost 24 percent of our eligible population," said Vergeire in a press briefing on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
"We need to get at least six percent more so that we reach 30 percent for the first booster shots by Oct. 8," she added.
"Our targets are moving because we know that we are having this very low uptake of our boosters, we are adjusting our targets. But definitely, ang gobyerno ay hindi titigil hanggang hindi natin mabakunahan ang bawat isang Pilipino nitong booster shot natin," she furthered.
Vergeire is hoping that they would be able to meet their target as the DOH is set to conduct special vaccination days on Sept. 26 to 30.
"Nakipag-usap tayo sa lahat ng sector ngayon---medical societies, national government agencies, local governments, and other sectors ay hinihingi natin ang tulong even the private sector," she said.
"Sana po ngayon we'll pour in all efforts also for us to be able to achieve this additional six percent to reach 30 percent of first booster shots by Oct. 8," she added.
Vergeire urged eligible Filipinos to get their first booster shot.
"The consequence will be on the population actually. The consequence is that there will be more and more those vulnerable to severe and critical kung hindi natin maachieve yan," she said.
"Hopefully, this coming Sept. 26 to 30, we urge each and every Filipino who has not received their first booster shots, magpabakuna na tayo para tayo ay protektado," she added.