Boosting vax output crucial to transition in new normal: Galvez

MANILA – More innovative strategies are needed to further boost the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination output with the country’s ongoing transition to the new normal, National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer, Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr., said Wednesday.

“With the declaration of Alert Level 1, we have been experiencing a saturation point in our vaccination centers with only the pediatric sector that dominates our vaccination sites,” Galvez said in a news release.

Galvez, also the vaccine czar, said most of the vaccination sites are now vacant with only a few people getting vaccinated.

“So we will be needing other strategies to gather more vaccinees,” he added.

Galvez noted the government has been intensifying its efforts to make the Covid-19 vaccines more accessible to the people such as house-to-house inoculation for the vulnerable sectors, workplace vaccination efforts, or the “Jabs on the Jobs” program, and the conduct of a massive national vaccination drive (NVD).

The fourth leg of the NVD will be held from March 10 to 12, aimed at administering at least 1.8 million doses of primary series and booster shots to the adult population and increasing the number of fully vaccinated individuals under the 12 to 17 age group.

“Hihikayatin nating bumalik ang mga dapat maka-receive ng second dose dahil karamihan po sa mga second dosers natin ay hindi po nakabalik (We will encourage more people to get their second doses because most of those second dosers were not able to go back for their full doses),” Galvez said.

In partnership with the private sector, Galvez said the government also targets to ramp up the administration of booster shots.

Eligible individuals availing of the booster doses may receive several incentives, rewards, and discounts from the business establishments.

Galvez emphasized that getting enough protection against the Covid-19 infection is crucial to the country’s goal of pushing total economic recovery.

So far, only 14.71 percent or 10,616,590 fully vaccinated Filipinos out of the 72.16 million target population for vaccination, have received booster shots.

The Philippines has already administered a total of 137,351,822 doses nationwide, with 63,992,620 Filipinos completing their full doses, including those who received the single-shot Janssen and Sputnik Light jabs.