Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Gov’t revises jab target due to tight supply. Inquirer Newsletter May 27, 2021

‘BEST THAT YOU CAN DO. . .’ For many personal worlds boxed in and shuttered by the pandemic, Wednesday night’s double combination of a total lunar eclipse and a super blood moon is a welcome, skyward diversion from earth-level worries. This shot was taken in Pasay City during the early-evening stages of the rare astronomical phenomenon. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

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A Senate resolution filed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros is calling for an inquiry into the work status of delivery riders and other workers on digital platforms, who are currently seen as independent contractors instead of full-fledged employees. The resolution hopes to compel lawmakers to come up with policies that would give these workers the rights and benefits provided under the Labor Code. —Story by Roy Stephen Canivel

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EJK probe to cover cops earlier cleared

Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, the Philippine National Police chief, says even the case files of cops earlier exonerated due to the reluctance of the victims’ kin to cooperate with investigators will be turned over to the Department of Justice as it reviews alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) linked to President Duterte’s war on drugs. This will dispel speculation that the PNP is hiding something. —Story by Jeannette I. Andrade and Tina G. Santos

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Gov’t revises jab target due to tight supply

By Jerome Aning

The government will aim for “population protection” against the worst effects of COVID-19 while waiting for more vaccines intended for achieving herd immunity and preventing the spread of the coronavirus causing the severe respiratory disease, a senior health official said on Wednesday.

This is the reason the government had shifted the vaccination program’s focus on priority sectors in the National Capital Region, two other major cities and six key provinces, known collectively as “NCR Plus 8,” to prevent severe cases and to jump-start the economy, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said during Wednesday’s Laging Handa briefing.

“So, the term we use is really ‘population protection.’ We prevent hospitalization, we prevent and minimize deaths by prioritizing [areas]. And the bigger the population that is vaccinated, we have population protection, so there will be no more transmission,” Cabotaje said.

In case the virus is still transmitted, the persons infected would only have mild symptoms, she said.

Herd immunity is achieved when a big enough portion of the population had grown immune to a disease. Health authorities say this should be around 70 percent of the population.

Cabotaje said the government had targeted to vaccinate that many Filipinos by the end of this year or early next year.

8.2M shots so far

But based on Department of Health (DOH) figures as of last week, the country had so far procured only 8,279,050 shots from Sinovac (5.5 million) AstraZeneca (2,556,000) Pfizer (193,050) and Gamaleya (30,000). That is enough for a single dose for only 7.54 percent of the population.

Cabotaje said the new population protection approach was adopted due to the tight global supply of vaccines and the surge in cases in India, which was delaying the country’s orders for Indian-made vaccines.

She said the government “refocused” its target “a bit” to 50 percent to 60 percent and concentrated it on NCR Plus 8 “to speed up mass vaccination and population protection in a geographic setting.”

In addition to Metro Manila, these critical areas include Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, Bulacan, Pampanga, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna and Batangas.

If 10 million to 15 million shots continue to arrive in the coming months, the government must be able to administer 300,000 to 500,000 doses a day, or 1 million to 2 million weekly. That would help achieve population protection, Cabotaje said.

She said 4.95 million jabs have so far been administered, 3.4 million of them as the first dose and the rest as the second shot.

Cabotaje said 85 percent of health-care workers comprising the priority group A1 nationwide had received the first dose. It was 97 percent for the A1 group in Metro Manila. Only 1.1 million seniors, or 12 percent of the A2 group, had been vaccinated.

The government is now gearing to vaccinate front-liners in essential sectors (A4) and indigents (A5) next month.

Better approach

Citing data from the National Economic and Development Authority, Cabotaje said that of the total 22.4 million belonging to the A4 group nationwide, around 13 million could be found in NCR Plus 8 where there are around 8.5 million eligible recipients from the A5 group.

Catholic priest Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, a molecular biologist and fellow of the independent OCTA Research group, agreed that inoculating the NCR Plus 8 population first was “significantly better than the whole of the country approach,” especially given the fewer vaccines that are available in the country.

The group of academics said the government must ramp up its daily vaccinations to achieve its minimum “best goal” to contain virus transmission in NCR Plus 8 by the end of the year.

It also recommended the extension of general community quarantine (GCQ) for two more weeks in NCR Plus 8, despite a decline in the daily number of COVID-19 cases.

While retaining the GCQ, some restrictions may be eased such as increasing the number of customers or workers in an establishment, especially for businesses that were “responsible” enough to follow minimum health protocols, the group said on Wednesday.

The group said it did not want to give the wrong message and people might become “very complacent” if modified GCQ were to be adopted in June.

“While we believe that we can relax restrictions, we think that we should try to retain the GCQ at this time because the cases are still significant,” said OCTA fellow Guido David.

Case update

The DOH on Wednesday recorded 5,310 additional cases, increasing the country’s total case count to 1,193,979.

It said 7,408 recovered, bringing the number of survivors to 1,127,770. But 150 died, raising the death toll to 20,169.

The deaths and recoveries left 46,037 active cases, of which 92.5 percent were mild, 2.1 percent asymptomatic, 1.7 percent critical, 2.2 percent severe and 1.51 percent moderate.

The health department said four laboratories failed to submit their data on time. —WITH REPORTS FROM MARICAR CINCO AND PATRICIA DENISE M. CHIU

Editorial

'On the right track'?

Four long years after Marawi City was left in ruins by a five-month battle between Islamic State-inspired extremists and government forces, thousands of displaced families still waiting to go back home are left hanging on to yet another slew of government promises, which comes around like clockwork on the anniversary of the costly siege. Residents fear that the announced completion by the end of the year will be yet another promise left unfulfilled with just over a year remaining in the Duterte administration's term. Also, a consolidated bill providing for some P30 billion to P50 billion to help Marawi folk remains pending in Congress, and Malacanang has expressed coolness to that proposal (presidential spokesperson Harry Roque: 'The support of the President will depend on the amount to be allocated').

Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net