70% of eligible adults in NCR have received 1st dose

MANILA – About half of the National Capital Region’s (NCR) eligible population is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), according to an official of the Metro Manila Council (MMC).

MMC chair, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez, said in a news channel interview on Friday that overall, 70 percent of the NCR’s estimated eligible adult population of 10 million have received the first dose.

“Doon po sa vaccination, napakaganda po sa buong National Capital Region. First dose vaccination umabot na po ng mahigit 70 percent (Vaccination in the entire NCR is really good. First dose vaccination has reached more than 70 percent),” Olivarez said.

In a Facebook post, infectious disease expert Dr. Edsel Salvana noted that while the number of new cases has reached an all-time high of 17,231 on Friday, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of severe and critical cases, thanks in part to the number of vaccinated individuals and despite increasing Delta variant cases.

“From a cumulative 2.8 percent (1.0 percent critical and 1.8 percent severe) from two weeks ago, the cumulative for today is 1.9 percent (0.7 percent critical and 1.2 percent severe),” Salvana posted.

“This decrease in proportion of severe and critical can only be attributed to one thing: vaccination,” he added.

The continued vaccination of the eligible population “is how we will survive Covid-19, particularly Delta with its extreme transmissibility,” Salvana said.

Protect the vulnerable, decrease the severity of cases, and turn Covid-19 into a much less deadly disease, he advised.

“Fingers crossed we vaccinate even more, and the proportion of severe and critical cases continues to drop,” Salvana said.