Drilon: High rate of people who failed to complete COVID-19 doses could undermine vaccination success

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon expressed serious concerns about the high percentage of people who did not return for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccines, saying it could undermine the country's vaccination program.

Drilon likewise hit the government's sluggish vaccination program with only 1.2 million Filipinos who completed their first and second doses as of June 2, putting the government far short of its target to vaccinate at least 70 million of the population.

"The government must ramp up its vaccination drive and increase its daily vaccination rate. Because, at the rate it is going now, I do not see the light at the end of the tunnel," Drilon said.

"The government must remember that our economic recovery depends largely on our ability to inoculate at least 70 percent of our countrymen as effectively and as fast as we can," said Drilon.

The World Bank recently downgraded its Philippine economic forecast to 4.7 percent from the previous forecast of 5.5 percent due to the rising COVID-19 cases and the reimposition of stricter community quarantine.

Out of over 4,003,776 who received COVID-19 vaccines since the country began its inoculation program late February, only 1,244,582 completed the required two doses, Drilon said citing the report submitted by the IATF to the Senate as of June 2.

Drilon said that translates to roughly 30 percent, leaving 70 percent who have yet to receive their second dose.

"The government needs to ensure that people return for their second dose. The IATF has to intensify its information drive and innovate in order to get people to complete their doses," Drilon said.

Drilon said the high number of people who have not returned for second doses could undermine the success of our inoculation program against coronavirus disease.

"How many of the 70 percent actually skipped their second vaccine dose? If we do not convince them to complete their doses, it will be detrimental to the success of our COVID-19 vaccination program. We will not achieve herd immunity at this rate," he stressed.

"Complete your vaccine. Don't skip your second shot," Drilon appealed to Filipinos.

Drilon also expressed concerns that only 20 percent of senior citizens and people with comorbidities were inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines since the rollout of the government's vaccination program in March.

Dr. John Wong, a health expert, recently said that the government missed its target of inoculating senior citizens and people with comorbidities as the government has vaccinated only 1.3 million out of 9.4 million senior citizens and 1.1 million out of 14.5 million people with comorbidities since the start of the inoculation drive in February.