The head of the Episcopal Commission on Health Care of the Catholic bishops’ conference urged Filipinos to take booster shots against COVID-19 in the wake of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.
“We saw the impact of vaccination,” said Father Dan Cancino, executive secretary of the commission, adding that even as the number of cases went up, health care utilization remains low.
“This is what we might have been saying as the impact of vaccination,” said the priest in a report on Radio Veritas 846.
He said the booster shot is necessary to strengthen the body’s defenses against COVID-19, especially for the elderly and those who often go out in public places.
According to the Department of Health, about 41 million individuals in the country have yet to receive their first booster dose.
“Of the over 71 million fully vaccinated individuals, around 56 million adults are eligible for the first booster,” said the Health department in an announcement.
“Removing those who have already been given, there are around 41 million adults due for the first booster,” it added.
The presidential palace has announced that it is encouraging local government units to hold large-scale immunization drives for booster doses, especially with the opening of schools by November.
The Philippines’ active COVID-19 infections continued to climb on Tuesday with 1,363 new cases, putting the active cases at 14,464.
The highest number of fresh COVID-19 cases were monitored in Metro Manila in the last 14 days with 8,264.
The Health department said the bed occupancy rate in the country remained at 21 percent. It means that of the 29,018 beds in hospitals nationwide, 6,107 are occupied while 22,911 are vacant.
