Acquiring booster shot raises moral dilemma

MANILA – Individuals who have acquired a third vaccine shot or are thinking of getting one should seriously question their moral values.

The Philippine government has yet to cover 50 percent of the target population yet some have managed to avail of booster shots, lamented Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief of the National Task Force Against Covid-19.

“Considering that [more or less] 30 percent of the total population have been vaccinated with two doses, there is still a moral issue. Marami pang hindi na-first dose na iba (There are still many who have yet to get their first dose). Let us wait for the decision of the vaccine expert panel,” he said in an interview at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Friday during the arrival of the third tranche of AstraZeneca vaccines procured by the private sector.

Last week, the Quezon City government filed complaints against two fully vaccinated individuals who secured a third Covid-19 jab in the city.

Lawyer Orlando Paolo Casimiro of the QC legal department said the unnamed individuals violated a local ordinance that prohibits “misrepresentation of vaccine status for purposes of fraud or deceit”.

“The complaints have been sworn into the Office of the City Prosecutor to send a strong message that the city government takes the vaccination and other pandemic-related programs very seriously,” Casimiro said in a statement on Friday.

On Thursday, Malacañang announced that the government eyes to start administering booster shots in 2022.

Around PHP45.37 billion will be earmarked in next year’s national budget to buy booster shots if needed, Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque said.