Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion believes that the Philippines can ward off a projected surge in Covid-19 cases if the government ramps up vaccinations, especially among the 53 million Filipinos who have not gotten the booster shots yet.

Concepcion made the statement after the World Health Organization (WHO) projected that the Philippines would have 300,000 active coronavirus cases by May amid the 2022 national elections.

According to the WHO, the Philippines risks a steep rise in cases if it continues to neglect public health standards. The Department of Health (DOH) has noted the gradual increase of Covid-19 cases in 14 areas across the country.

The Philippines currently has 67 million fully vaccinated individuals, still short by 23 million from its target of 90 million. In addition, it has a little over 53 million individuals comprising seniors, teenagers aged 12 to 17, and adults who have yet to receive their booster shots.

During the Laging Handa public briefing on April 20, Concepcion expressed concern that it might be too late if people waited for Covid cases to rise before getting their boosters.

“Why take the risk?” he asked.

“We should realize the whole implication here," he added.

The Go Negosyo founder said the public should take advantage of the country's stock of Covid-19 vaccines, 27 million doses of which will expire in July this year.

“Habang marami tayong bakuna, halos 80 million, kunin na natin ang booster natin (While we have the vaccines, about 80 million, let's get our booster shot). Let’s maintain the wall of immunity, at huwag sayangin ang bakuna (and not let the vaccine go to waste),” he said.

“Let’s protect ourselves and allow the economy to grow and help our citizens," he added.

Concepcion put forward the following suggestions to help spur vaccinations: Require booster cards, put an expiry date on primary vaccination cards, allow first boosters for 12 to 17 year-olds, and a second booster for the vulnerable population as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Concepcion warned that the rise of Covid-19 cases in 14 areas might be due to the waning immunity as the booster uptake remains very poor.

“We’re trying to prevent people from getting severely ill and overwhelming the healthcare system. We want to maintain the Alert Level 1 status, but we need people to stay healthy and keep the engines of the economy running,” he said.

Several medical experts also raised the possibility of variants contributing to a possible surge in cases and how booster shots can provide added protection even in the face of new variants.

President Duterte has also said that he will not lift the face mask requirement for fear of other variants found recently in neighboring Asian countries.

“Filipinos cannot afford to be complacent,” Concepcion said.

“As we’ve seen in the experience of other countries, the primary vaccinations do not guarantee that the antibodies will not wane over time. While vaccines do protect us from severe illness and death, these have to be kept up-to-date,” he added.

In relation to this, Go Negosyo intensified its campaign to promote booster vaccinations and released on several media platforms its campaign to encourage Filipinos to get vaccinated and, when eligible, get their booster shots.

In its campaign, Go Negosyo noted that as of April 13, only 13.7 percent of Filipinos had received their booster shots, despite 74.1 percent having already been fully vaccinated.