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Galvez wants vax targets met before declaration of Alert Level 1
Galvez wants vax targets met before declaration of Alert Level 1
Local government units (LGUs) should be able to meet their vaccination targets for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) before being allowed to be placed under Alert Level 1, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. proposed on Monday night, Feb. 21.
Galvez said this should be the “way forward” if the country intends to safely introduce the new normal way of living with the virus.
“For our way forward, we need to re-strategize and require the LGUs to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the eligible population and 80 percent of the senior population,” Galvez said during the “Talk to the People” public address of President Duterte.
“Ito po ay gagawin po natin parang requirement or incentivize those who are having ‘yung higher coverage na at least puwede po silang magkaroon ng Alert Level 1 like in the NCR (We will make this like a requirement or as an incentive for those who are having higher coverage where they can be placed under Alert Level 1 like in the NCR),” he added.
So far, only 10 regions have achieved their target of fully vaccinating at least 70 percent of their eligible population.
These are NCR (114.10 percent); Region 1 (86.40 percent); Region 2 (83.58 percent); Region 3 (83.40 percent); Cordillera Administrative Region or CAR (82.51 percent); Region 4A (79.77 percent); Region 6 (79.09 percent); Region 11 (74.72 percent); Region 10 (74.68 percent); and Region 9 (70.83 percent).
Six regions have fully vaccinated at least 60 percent of their eligible population namely Region 5 (69.96 percent); Region 8 (69.93 percent); Caraga (69.75 percent); Region 4B (68.56 percent); Region 7 (64.53 percent); and Region 12 (61.25 percent).
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) remained at the bottom of the list with only 28.02 percent – or 854,963 out of 3,051,186 individuals – of its eligible population fully vaccinated.
“We are trying to direct all the agencies and sectors to actively participate in providing primary and boosters, particularly focusing on schools and workplaces,” Galvez said.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), the national government was studying whether select regions in the country were already prepared to further ease their COVID-19 restrictions to Alert Level 1 by March.