The country has made remarkable progress in returning to normalcy in work, school, and religious and recreational activities. In July, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. lifted the public health emergency status of the Philippines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is thanks in large part to the rollout of COVID-19 primary vaccine doses and booster shots.
During the recent “Sa Bivalent COVID-19 Boosters, PinasLakas!” webinar, Dr. Rontgene Solante, president of the Philippine College of Physicians, shared the findings of a global study which found that vaccinations prevented 19.8 million deaths from COVID-19, representing a global reduction of 63% in total deaths during the first year of COVID-19 vaccination.
“Compared to unvaccinated individuals, those who are vaccinated have much stronger protection against infection, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19. This is why most countries are still providing COVID-19 vaccines even at this point in time because of the ability of the virus to mutate,” said Dr. Solante.
Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa urged everyone to remain vigilant against the continued threat of COVID-19 and its emerging variants and subvariants. He cited the DoH 8-point action agenda which asserts that vaccination remains one of the most powerful tools at our disposal in the fight against COVID-19.
“While the primary series of vaccine doses provides significant protection, it is not sufficient, especially for our most vulnerable populations, including our healthcare workers, senior citizens, and individuals with comorbidities. Updated boosters, whether the monovalent or bivalent, offer an added layer of defense against COVID-19,” Secretary Herbosa explained.
It is important to keep in mind that the virus that causes COVID-19 mutates and our natural immunity decreases over time. This is why we need to keep our protection against COVID-19 up to date. Being rolled out now are both the monovalent and bivalent vaccines. The bivalent COVID-19 vaccines include a component that corresponds to the original virus strain to provide broad protection against COVID-19, and a component that corresponds to Omicron to provide better protection against this variant, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Receiving the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine as a third booster is important because protection against symptomatic and severe disease wanes within six months after getting the primary vaccination series and the two monovalent mRNA booster shots, Dr. Solante explained. He said that getting the updated bivalent booster not only protects a person against infection, but also against developing severe disease that requires hospitalizations.
Dr. Regina Berba, head of the Hospital Infection Control Unit of the Philippine General Hospital, urged Filipino senior citizens to get their bivalent booster. She said that advanced age is by far the greatest risk factor for COVID-related death, independent of underlying comorbidities. They also have weakened immune system. Frontline health workers, senior citizens, and individuals who are immunocompromised and with comorbidities are eligible to get their bivalent booster at least four to six months after their last booster vaccination, according to Dr. Anthony Cu, Director IV of the DoH Field Implementation and Coordination Team-Field Operations System Management. Bivalent vaccines are available for free at health centers, selected government hospitals, and local government-designated vaccination sites.
The DoH is also coordinating with COVAX to secure more doses, as well as reviewing scientific studies and policies before deciding on expanding the bivalent booster vaccination to other priority groups. Once evidence is generated on the benefits of the latest COVID-19 vaccine, the DoH also gave assurances that it will find a way to secure them.
Even as COVID-19 vaccines continue to provide protection for people around the world, there is an imperative to also give attention to ramp up efforts for other vaccine-preventable diseases. In a study published on the NIH National Library of Medicine, it said that “extending the benefits of vaccination against infectious diseases from childhood throughout the entire life-span” is becoming more urgent due to an aging population and emergence of potentially fatal and debilitating infectious diseases. The way to do this is through a life-course approach to immunization.
As defined by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, a life-course approach recognizes the role of immunization as a strategy to prevent disease and maximize health over one’s entire life, regardless of an individual’s age. It means ensuring a schedule for vaccination from birth, adolescence, adulthood, and the elderly stage of individuals and members of their families. With the availability of vaccines during modern times, no one should suffer or die from vaccine-preventable illnesses.
Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP). PHAP represents the biopharmaceutical medicines and vaccines industry in the country. Its members are in the forefront of research and development efforts for COVID-19 and other diseases that affect Filipinos.
