Abby rues low booster rates in Makati

Despite multiple efforts to entice residents to take booster shots against the coronavirus disease 2019, the rate for the administration of the extra shot against Covid-19 remains low in Makati City, Mayor Abby Binay said Friday.

Binay stressed they have not been remiss in convincing residents to get booster shots on top of the primary doses against the virus that first reared its head in 2019 in Wuhan, China.

"Well, in Makati it's the same situation. It's not as high as we want it to be. But we are very aggressive when there are requests for vaccination," the mayor said.

The Department of Health has resorted to allowing drugstores to serve as venues for the administration of booster shots amid the seeming reluctancy of many Filipinos to get boosted.

Mayor Binay, meanwhile, said they have already gone to different churches to facilitate the provision of booster doses with requests by companies for booster shots administration granted.

However, the booster rate among residents of Makati has remained low because of public perception that getting the primary Covid shots is enough to be protected against the virus.

Makati has administered over 342,000 booster shots, data from its website as of 11 September showed. More than 530,000 people had been vaccinated in the city with their primary doses.

As of 3 November, Makati City has 63 active Covid cases. Since the pandemic began, it has recorded over 62,000 infections, of which 1,058 died from the disease.

Binay said there should also be a thorough discussion of the proposal to allow local government units to procure bivalent vaccines.

Bivalent vaccines are modified Covid-19 vaccines that target the omicron variant and the original form of the virus.

"Before rushing into procuring these vaccines, it's best to assess whether there will be takers," she said.

The DoH said Thursday that bivalent vaccines may be available in the country by the first quarter of 2023.