(PNA photo by Joey Razon)
MANILA – The conduct of regular national vaccination days is the key to ramping up the country's vaccination numbers, an infectious disease expert said Friday.
In a televised public briefing, Dr. Rontgene Solante, Vaccine Experts Panel member, suggested that the government should conduct "regular" national vaccination days to reach and protect more people against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
"Ang advantage kasi ng national vaccination days, 'yung accessibility, marami tayong lugar na pwede tayong magbakuna (The advantage of national vaccination days is accessibility, we can vaccinate in many places) compared to without, that there are few places to go to like in the LGU [local government unit], there are selected areas," he said.
The National Vaccination Operation Center's scheme of bringing Covid-19 vaccines to every house and workplace has increased the number of doses administered nationwide.
Nonetheless, the number of fully vaccinated individuals who received their booster shots remains low at 12 million out of the 44 million target.
"We have to change the definition of 'fully vaccinated' that will now include [the] primary vaccine series, plus the booster because we already have supply of booster doses," Solante said.
Workplaces may also require or encourage their employees to get their booster shots before going back to work, he added.
In a Palace briefing Friday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said about 65.9 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated as of March 31, 2022.
A total of 71.2 million individuals or 79 percent of the target population have received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine. (PNA)
