DoH: Complete vaccine doses
It validated our prioritization criteria and showed that prioritizing the health care workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities will save lives as they are the most at risk for hospitalization and death caused by Covid-19
The Department of Health (DoH) on Thursday reminded the public to complete their second dose of anti-Covid vaccines as scheduled.
The DoH was reacting to reports of vaccine recipients skipping the second dose.
“The reported missed schedules for second dose are estimates and based on certain assumptions. According to the National Covid-19 Vaccination Operations Center, actual numbers show that 9 percent of people have deferred their second dose, roughly 113,000 individuals,” said DoH Spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire.
Vergeire said the most common reasons for such deferrals include: getting sick, getting exposed to someone positive for Covid-19, or undergoing a 14-day quarantine.
She noted that this percentage goes down as the local government units reach out to these vaccine recipients and eventually end up getting the second dose.
The reported missed schedules for second dose are estimates and based on certain assumptions.
The DoH clarified that the data presented during the DoH Town Hall session on Covid-19 Vaccine Prioritization, Masterlisting, and Registration were independent assessments by health experts and may differ from actual numbers being seen on the ground.
These assessments from independent expert groups enable the government to triangulate and continuously validate data, to further improve the overall implementation of the national vaccination program.
“What was presented was part of an independent assessment of the vaccine prioritization of the national Covid-19 vaccination program. It validated our prioritization criteria and showed that prioritizing the health care workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities will save lives as they are the most at risk for hospitalization and death caused by Covid-19,” Undersecretary Vergeire added.
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III reassured that those who missed their scheduled second dose can still get vaccinated and reminded the public to complete the required doses for full protection against Covid-19, to protect not only themselves but also their loved ones.
“For our fellow Filipinos who missed their scheduled second dose, do not worry, you will still be able to get your second dose,” Duque said.
He said vaccinees just need to coordinate with their respective local government units to reschedule their second dose vaccination.
“We can only get full protection against Covid-19 through complete doses,” he added.