Around 30% of NCR residents still unvaccinated vs. COVID-19 —DILG official

Some 30% of residents in the National Capital Region (NCR) have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19, an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government said on Saturday.

"Sa Metro Manila, puwede na kaming pumalo ng 30%," DILG Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Diño said in an interview on Dobol B TV when asked how many in the region are not yet inoculated.

(In Metro Manila, we can possibly say 30% [are still unvaccinated against COVID-19.])

"Mataas ang herd immunity natin sa Metro Manila. Siguro pumalo na tayo sa more than 70%," he added.

(The herd immunity in Metro Manila is high. It's about more than 70%.)

"Makikita mo yan. Ito ang dahilan na kahit maraming nagkahawa-hawa sa atin dito sa Metro Manila, 'yung mga nagkasakit, mild lang. Imbes na nawala ang oxygen, tapos 'di ba ICU, ospital, ang pila, nasa botika. Nawala mga paracetamol," Diño said.

(You can see that. This is the reason why, despite the high transmission of the coronavirus in Metro Manila, those who get sick get it mild. Instead of having oxygen difficulty, or being in an intensive care unit or hospital, people are lining up at drugstores for paracetamol.)

The DILG official however said not all barangays in NCR have submitted their list of residents who have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19. 

"May mga nakasumite na lalo na sa mga maliliit na barangay at meron din tayo na malalaki, dito sa Quezon City, mga Commonwealth... Ang deadline naman ay hanggang matapos nila, pero 'yung malalaking barangay siguro hanggang end of this month," Diño said.

(Some barangays have already submitted their lists, especially the small ones, but there are also big ones in Quezon City such as Commonwealth [that have submitted]. The deadline is until they finish it, but for the big barangays, maybe until the end of this month.)

The DILG has ordered barangay governments to submit a list of unvaccinated residents as part of the implementation of restricting the mobility of people who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

President Rodrigo Duterte last week ordered barangay officials to direct persons yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to stay at home amid the steep spike in cases believed driven by the Omicron variant.

Diño on Saturday also said the list of unvaccinated individuals will help the government in determining how many more vaccines are needed.

"Isa sa mga dahilan kaya kinukuha natin ang datos (pangalan ng mga hindi pa bakunado) para malaman namin kung gaano pa karaming bakuna ang ilalaan ng gobyerno para may numero tayo," he said.

(One of the reasons we are getting the data is for us to know how many more vaccines need to be allotted by the government.)

The Commission on Human Rights on Wednesday meanwhile reminded barangay officials that submitting a list of unvaccinated residents must not result in violation of the residents' right to privacy.

Diño also said those on the list are being asked to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

"Ngayon nga pinakikiusapan lang natin... Tutulungan ma-schedule [ang pababakuna]," he said.

(We are just appealing to them to get vaccinated and helping them get scheduled for vaccination.) —KG, GMA News