DOH: Philippines has sufficient COVID-19 vaccines until next administration

The Philippines has a sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines until the next administration and the end of 2022, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Friday.

During the Department of Health's (DOH's) Back-to-Vax Champion COVID-19 vaccination event, Duque said out of 244 million doses received, around 155 million doses had been administered.

“Sobra sobra ang ating bakuna. Out of 244 million doses na natanggap natin, mga 155 million na yung ating naimplement, so hanggang sa huli ng 2022, sa susunod na administrasyon, mayroon silang sapat na bakuna para mapalawig ang ating primary series vaccination coverage and of course our first booster dose and second booster dose coverage,” he said.

(We have a sufficient supply of vaccines. Of the 244 million doses we received, 155 million were administered. So by the end of 2022, in the next administration, they will have enough vaccines to extend our primary series vaccination coverage and, of course, our first booster dose and second booster dose coverage.)

Duque said at least 90% of the targeted 77 million individuals were vaccinated under the COVID-19 vaccination program.

“Yung 70 million nabakunahan na natin so may seven million pa tayo na mga Pilipino na kinakailangan pang bakunahan,” the Health Secretary said.

(Around 70 million individuals have already been vaccinated, so we still have seven million Filipinos who still need to be vaccinated.)

The Philippine government said it was targeting to vaccinate around 77 million individuals or 85% of the targeted eligible population by the end of June.

Meanwhile, Duque said there was low coverage for booster shots.

“Yung ating booster dose coverage medyo matumal pa rin, nasa ika nga 20% more or less ang ating first booster dose natin out of 54 to about 56 million eligible population,” he said.

(Our booster dose coverage is still low, our first booster dose is more or less 20% of the 54 to about 56 million eligible population.)

“And also for the second booster nasa mga 17% of our 3.5 million eligible population ang kinakailangan pang ma-booster so mababa pa lalo na sa booster. Yan ang hamon,” he added.

(Also, for the second booster, about 17% of our 3.5 million eligible population still needs to get vaccinated. So it is still low, especially with the booster. That's the challenge.)

As of June 13, almost 9.5 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 and 3.1 million minors aged 5 to 11 were fully inoculated against COVID-19.

Around 14.6 million individuals received their first dose, and 580,000 received their second booster dose.

Next DOH chief

Duque said medical associations were free to recommend the “best” next health secretary, adding that all names he heard were “good and helped” in the COVID-19 pandemic response.

“They're free to recommend whoever they think is the best person for secretary of health. Ako kasi lahat ng pangalang narinig ko, magagaling, nakatulong sa pandemic response (All the names I've heard were good and helped in the pandemic response),” he said.

“And hindi naman ako hinihingian ng ano mang recommendation or endorsement, I will leave to the next president to decide kung sino ang gusto niya,” he added.

(I'm not being asked for any recommendation or endorsement. I will leave it to the next President to decide who he wants.)

Private Hospitals Association Philippines (PHAPI) President Dr. Jose de Grano said different hospital societies, even the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), recommended National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 adviser Dr. Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa as the next DOH chief.

President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has yet to announce the next DOH secretary.

Aside from being a special adviser to the (NTF) COVID-19, Herbosa was recently appointed member of the board of PhilHealth before he accepted the post as chairman, Emergency Medicine at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (PGH). — DVM, GMA News