Concepcion: Astrazeneca Jab for All Age Groups A Big Boost to Vaccine Effort, Economic Rebond

The Department of Health’s (DOH) announcement of the official resumption of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine for all age groups is a big boost toward efforts to vaccinate economic frontliners. This according to Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion. “It’s certainly a huge step forward, especially when it comes to combating vaccine hesitancy,” he said. The DOH’s announcement came following the recommendation of the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the DOH All Experts Group on Vaccines. The DOH concluded that there are currently no known risk factors for Vaccine-Induced Thrombosis and Thrombocytopenia (VITT), a very rare condition of blood clots associated with low platelet counts. To date, there have been no local confirmed VITT events. "This is a big boost,” said Concepcion, “especially following the endorsement of the DOLE,” he said. The DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) earlier released an advisory promoting the vaccination of private sector employees, a move which Concepcion said was significant given calls from the business sector to open the economy and regain losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision is seen to positively impact the public-private partnership efforts to secure 17 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines. Under the “A Dose of Hope” program pioneered by Concepcion’s GoNegosyo, the private sector, vaccine manufacturers and the government were able to agree to expedite the vaccine procurement process and make it possible for the private sector to secure vaccines for private sector employees and economic frontliners. Concepcion said that the decision comes just in time as the two million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are expected to arrive in the country this month. “The DOH concluded after discussions with experts that the benefits of receiving the vaccine outweigh the risks, and we wholeheartedly agree,” he said. “We need to vaccinate as many Filipinos as we can so we can achieve herd immunity and give people back their jobs.” "Economic frontliners come in all age groups, and we need everyone safe and vaccinated for us to return back to normal,” he said. Go Negosyo is leading the implementation of this vaccine effort from the private sector and the preparation is now in full swing as it expects the first arrival in the first week of June. Its Let’s Go Bakuna information and education campaign is already in full swing to combat vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos. The GoNegosyo efforts also include an agreement with Zuellig Pharma Corporation as its official storage and distribution partner in different locations nationwide. The private sector will also pay for its administration fee including the ones donated to the government for its frontliners. ###

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more