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COVID-19 vaccine supplies assured to gov't not enough for 'herd immunity' —PFV exec


The 50 million COVID-19 vaccines that several manufacturers have assured the Philippines so far are not enough to achieve herd immunity as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to Philippine Foundation for Vaccination (PFV).

Interviewed on Unang Hirit on Wednesday, PFV director Dr. Lulu Bravo said if the vaccination requires two doses, the supply can only cover 25 million out of the over 100 million Filipinos.

“Kalahati na 'yun ng ating population, dahil ang populasyon natin 110 million na yata, 'di ba? So kung may 50 million, that is two doses, 25 million lang ang puwedeng mabigyan,” Bravo said.

“Kung two doses 'yun, tapos ang mabibigyan mo lang is 25 million, one-fourth ng ating population, hindi pa 'yun herd immunity, kasi sabi mo nga 60 to 70 percent,” she added.

WHO experts said the vaccination of 65% to 70% of a population can reach herd immunity.

According to WHO, herd immunity or population immunity is a concept used for vaccination in which a population can be protected from a certain virus if a threshold of vaccination is reached.

Bravo said the rest of the population who did not receive the vaccine, or have already recovered from the infection and developed a natural immunity, will be protected.

“Mas marami ang merong panlaban — may bakuna o kaya nagkaroon na ng sakit at may natural immunity na — mas mahirap nang ikalat o i-transmit sa iba ang sakit,” Bravo said.

Earlier, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said that the government is eyeing to secure COVID-19 vaccine supply deals from manufacturers in China, United Kingdom and the United States within the month.

While the price of the vaccine procurement cannot be disclosed at this point due to confidentiality disclosure agreement, he said the country will be assured of 30 to 50 million vaccine supplies.

With this supply, Bravo said that the government should prioritize healthcare workers, senior citizens, and Filipinos who are suffering from the illness.

She also suggested to the government to choose vaccine products that are safe, effective, cheap, and can be delivered easily.

Bravo noted that the country has a limited health delivery system, particularly cold chain services. She preferred a vaccine product that only requires normal refrigeration to keep its efficacy. —KBK, GMA News

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