The World Health Organization (WHO) stressed the importance of the Philippines speeding up the vaccination of senior citizens against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) amid the threat of the more contagious Delta variant.
According to the WHO, nearly 72 percent of the 8.2 million senior citizens on the government’s master list have not yet received even a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Meanwhile, only 8.5 percent of seniors are fully vaccinated against the disease.
The WHO further explained that the vaccination of seniors needs to be expedited because more than half of those who die from COVID-19 in the country are elderly.
“How long we can hold this is a matter of time… We have a unique window. Before that happens, we need to try to vaccinate as many of our senior citizens as possible. If we fail to do that, it is likely that we are going to see a lot of deaths happening among the senior citizenry,” ani WHO Representative of the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe.
The Department of Health (DOH) also called on local governments to make vaccination a priority for those over 60 and over.
WHO: Accelerate vaccination of seniors due to Delta variant threat
“With the coming of the vaccines into the country, there is a greater need to make sure that our senior citizens are covered,” said DOH Director Dr. Beverly Ho.
According to the National Commission on Senior Citizens (NCSC), some seniors are ready to get vaccinated but lack the knowledge on where to reserve a slot, apart from the fact that some are already weak.
“There are senior citizens who would like to have themselves vaccinated pero hindi nila alam kung sino ang lalapitan at saan… There are senior citizens who are not so ambulatory and would rather that they be vaccinated at home,” said NCSC Chairperson Atty. Franklin Quijano.
According to the WHO, some of the “best practices” implemented by LGUs, such as the provision of special lanes, home vaccination, and vaccination sites for seniors and others, should be followed.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.