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Spotify shares rebound after Joe Rogan apology, Citigroup upgrade

REET TALREJA/UNSPLASH

US podcaster Joe Rogan apologized and pledged more balance on his show amid a backlash against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) misinformation on the streaming service that wiped more than $2 billion off its market value last week.

On Monday, investors appeared to shrug off the controversy that hurt shares last week, as Spotify’s stock price jumped 12% after brokerage Citigroup raised the stock rating to “buy” from “neutral” saying the Swedish company would be able to improve its advertising business. Spotify said it would add a content advisory to any episode with discussion of COVID to try to quell the controversy, a first step into the field of content moderation that other tech platforms have found challenging and costly.

Mr. Rogan’s show, The Joe Rogan Experience, has been the most listened-to podcast on Spotify and is central to its plan to expand beyond music and take on rivals such as Apple and Amazon.com for a share of the podcasting market. In a 10-minute Instagram video post on Sunday evening, Mr. Rogan apologized to Spotify for the backlash but defended inviting contentious guests.

“If I pissed you off, I’m sorry,” Mr. Rogan said. “I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives so we can maybe find a better point of view.”

Mr. Rogan is a prominent vaccine skeptic and his views on vaccines and government mandates to control the spread of the virus alienated prominent figures from singer-songwriter Neil Young to guitarist Nils Lofgren to best-selling US professor and author Brene Brown. Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell also asked for her music to be taken off Spotify, citing a letter from hundreds of medical professionals urging the platform to prevent Mr. Rogan spreading falsehoods on the pandemic.

Spotify, which reports its quarterly earnings on Wednesday, has spent billions to build its podcast business and currently has over 3 million titles on its platform. Although it has an exclusive license to distribute the podcast, Mr. Rogan himself owns the show.

According to the company, it reviewed the episodes and decided that they did not meet its threshold for removal.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said late on Sunday that he might disagree with the views of some individuals on the platform but that it was “important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor.”

Its new policies include adding an advisory to any pandemic-related podcast that will direct listeners to a COVID-19 hub containing information from medical and health experts, as well as links to authoritative sources.

But the task of content moderation that it has now been dragged into is very different from removing songs with copyright violations, a job that Spotify is familiar with.

PODCAST MODERATION
Social media giants Facebook, Alphabet’s YouTube and Twitter have struggled with balancing the rights to free expression with moderating harmful content on their platforms amid intense regulatory scrutiny. Technology companies have invested in human content moderators as well as artificial intelligence technology over the past few years.

Under increasing pressure to police false content on their platforms, these companies have tightened their rules on vaccine misinformation. YouTube last week banned Fox News host Dan Bongino for making rule-breaking statements about the effectiveness of masks in stopping the spread of COVID.

Podcasts, which researchers have argued can be a powerful conduit for misinformation both due to their reach and the intimate relationship created with listeners, have often received less scrutiny over content moderation decisions than social media platforms. The challenges of monitoring and analyzing audio, coupled with the open nature of the podcasting ecosystem, has also complicated moderation.

Research from the Brookings Institution recently showed how misinformation about voter fraud was pushed on podcasts ahead of the US Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, including on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, which was removed from Spotify in 2020 but is available on Apple and Google. — Reuters

Mega Global sets market listing on its 50th year

CANNED sardines manufacturer Mega Global Corp. announced its plan for an initial public offering (IPO) once it reaches its 50th year.

“We will be able to take it public when we turn 50,” said Marvin P. Tiu Lim, chief growth and development officer of Mega Global’s Mega Sardines division, in an interview with ANC Market Edge, adding that the company is now 47 years old.

“We want make sure to continue our company legacy and continue to grow the business,” he added.

For now, Mr. Tiu Lim expects “healthy” competition after Century Pacific Food, Inc. announced on Dec. 24 its acquisition of the Tung family’s legacy Ligo sardines brand.

Under the deal, Century Pacific will buy assets and intellectual property related to the manufacturing of Ligo’s product lineup, which is composed of shelf-stable marine products.

“Competition brings the best in all of us and that kind of competition is good to have. It will bring in more innovation, more technology, and make the whole industry livelier. A new entry would be very fun,” Mr. Tiu Lim said.

As for the company’s Mega Sardines brand, Mr. Tiu Lim anticipates growth for the coming year.

“I foresee the outlook of our industry is growing because of its affordability. It’s a staple product, even more so now, where people really have to tighten their belts,” he said.

“When the lockdown happened in March 2020, that was the start of the fishing season. Our demand peaked two or three times in those first few months. We were able to supply all the demand,” he added.

However, rising crude oil prices have been a challenge, Mr. Tiu Lim said, adding that the fishing and canning company is hopeful that costs will normalize so it can maintain affordable food products.

“It is a huge problem, but we are hopeful by the start of our fishing season in March, crude oil prices will soften because this really has a big impact on everything we do,” Mr. Tiu Lim said.

“Tin prices are up and raw materials are up. However, since it’s the start of the season, we also have a buffer stock inventory to make sure we can offset highs we have in the start of the season,” he added.

He said Mega Global made sure not to pass on the full added cost to consumers.

“We did not pass 100% of the cost because we do understand the situation we are in. We are tightening our belts, the way everyone is. It’s not all about profits nowadays, we are foregoing some profits to make sure its sustainable and prices don’t go off because so many people are dependent on our products,” he said.

The canned seafood maker has been working on improving its facilities to boost production.

“We made a lot of investments in ship building and launched more innovative and efficient fleets to make sure we can catch well, all within the parameters of sustainable fishing,” he said.

“Right now, we have also increased our fishing fleet size to the largest in the Philippines,” he added.

In June, Mega Global will be launching a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant to increase production.

“We’re hoping to expand in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) markets, but our top priority is still the Philippines. We have to make sure our food security is addressed and make sure our products are widely available, nutritious and affordable. We also make sure the quality reaches global standard, because the Philippines deserves the best,” Mr. Tiu Lim said.

“It’s more of advancing digitalization, making sure all our processes are seamless. We have to keep up with technology, that’s why a lot of innovation and automation are currently in place,” he added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

PHL submits second report to FATF

THE PHILIPPINES has submitted its second report following its gray-listing to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which focused on the improvements in the manpower of the watchdog and the heightened financial intelligence and “dirty money” investigations, according to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

The report already tackled the requirements that are expected by May, AMLC Executive Director Mel Georgie B. Racela said.

“What we reported in the second cycle were due in May 2022 (third reporting cycle), so that if FATF favorably considers our submission, the Philippines has nothing [urgent] to report in the coming May 2022 third progress report,” he said in a Viber message.

This will give them more time to prepare for the next progress report due this September where they are expected to prove improvements on six action plan items on boosting anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures (AML/CTF), Mr. Racela said.

In its February report, Mr. Racela said they noted the increase in the use of financial intelligence and heightened investigations and prosecutions related to money laundering cases. This, as the AMLC boosted its manpower to promote its effectiveness.

The country has also increased resources and capacity for terrorism financing, he added.

Mr. Racela said they have also created a coordination center together with the Bureau of Customs to implement cross-border measures in major international ports.

He noted the May report will focus on showing progress on the use of AML/CTF measures of supervisors to manage risk related to casino junkets, the implementation of new registration requirements for money value transfer services and the sanctions for unregistered and illegal remittance operators, and boosting the targeted financial sanction for terrorism financing and proliferation financing.

“The Philippine report will also focus on demonstrating that appropriate measures have been taken with respect to the nonprofit organization (NPO) sector, including unregistered NPOs, without disrupting legitimate NPO activity,” Mr. Racela added.

He said he is confident that they can continue showing progress on implementing tighter AML/CTF measures despite the election season and the change in administration.

In October, the FATF said the Philippines is still under increased monitoring for money laundering and terrorism financing risks, despite some progress in implementing measures against such crimes.

The country was placed in the FATF’s gray list in June 2021. The government is hoping the country can exit the gray list by January 2023. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Omicron subvariant BA.2 more infectious than ‘original,’ Danish study finds

COPENHAGEN — The BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant, which has quickly taken over in Denmark, is more transmissible than the more common BA.1 and more able to infect vaccinated people, a Danish study has found.  

The study, which analyzed coronavirus infections in more than 8,500 Danish households between December and January, found that people infected with the BA.2 subvariant were roughly 33% more likely to infect others, compared to those infected with BA.1.  

Worldwide, the “original” BA.1 subvariant accounts for more than 98% of Omicron cases, but its close cousin BA.2 has quickly become the dominant strain in Denmark, dethroning BA.1 in the second week of January.

“We conclude that Omicron BA.2 is inherently substantially more transmissible than BA.1, and that it also possesses immune-evasive properties that further reduce the protective effect of vaccination against infection,” the study’s researchers said.  

The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, was conducted by researchers at Statens Serum Institut (SSI), Copenhagen University, Statistics Denmark and Technical University of Denmark.  

“If you have been exposed to Omicron BA.2 in your household, you have 39% probability of being infected within seven days. If you instead had been exposed to BA.1, the probability is 29%,” lead study author Frederik Plesner told Reuters.  

That suggests BA.2 is around 33% more infectious than BA.1, he added.  

BA.2 cases have also been registered in the United States, Britain, Sweden and Norway, but to a much lesser extent than in Denmark, where it accounts for roughly 82% of cases.  

The study also showed that BA.2 was relatively better than BA.1 at infecting vaccinated and booster-vaccinated people, indicating greater “immune evasive properties” of the subvariant.  

But vaccines still played an important role, the study underlined, since both booster-vaccinated and fully vaccinated individuals were less like to get infected and transmit either subvariants, compared to those not vaccinated.  

Preliminary analysis by SSI has shown that there is no difference in the risk of hospitalization for BA.2 compared to BA.1.  

The study also confirms preliminary analysis from England, which showed BA.2 appears to have a substantial growth advantage over the BA.1 type, according to Britain’s UK Health Security Agency. — Reuters 

Dutch publisher halts Anne Frank book amid questions on research

AMSTERDAM — A Dutch publisher has suspended printing of a book that suggested a Jewish notary betrayed Anne Frank, saying there were questions about the research behind it, according to an internal e-mail seen by Reuters. The Betrayal of Anne Frank, released on Jan. 18, caused a sensation when it said investigators had named Arnold van den Bergh as the main suspect. Other researchers later criticized the findings, saying they were “full of errors.”

The publisher of the Dutch-language edition, Ambo Anthos, said in an e-mail to its own authors on Monday morning that it should have taken a more “critical stance” on the publication.

“We await the answers from the researchers to the questions that have emerged and are delaying the decision to print another run,” the e-mail from the Amsterdam firm said. “We offer our sincere apologies to anyone who might feel offended by the book.”

It did not go into details on the questions and the firm declined to comment further when contacted by Reuters. There was no immediate response to requests for comment from representatives of the author, Rosemary Sullivan, or from the book’s English-language publisher, HarperCollins.

One of the investigators quoted in the book, Pieter van Twisk, told Reuters he had seen the e-mail and the research team was “completely surprised” by its message.

“We had a meeting last week with the editors and talked about the criticism and why we felt it could be deflected and agreed we would come with a detailed reaction later,” he said.

The book detailed the conclusions of a six-year cold case investigation into the mystery of how the Nazis found the hiding place of the famous diarist in 1944.

Anne and seven other Jews were discovered by the Nazis on Aug. 4 of that year, after they had hidden for nearly two years in a secret annex above a canal-side warehouse in Amsterdam. All were deported and Anne died in the Bergen Belsen camp at age 15.

Her diary about life in hiding inspired millions of readers worldwide and has been translated into 60 languages.

A team that included a retired US FBI agent and around 20 historians, criminologists, and data specialists identified Arnold van den Bergh, a relatively unknown figure, as a leading suspect in revealing the hideout.

Among those questioning the research are the foundation set up by Anne Frank’s father, the Basel-based Anne Frank Fund, and historian Erik Somers of the Dutch NIOD institute for war, holocaust and genocide studies. — Reuters

Records of 30.7M borrowers now in CIC database

CREDIT INFORMATION CORP. (CIC) now includes credit data of 30.7 million individuals, which could help improve access to financing.

CIC President and Chief Executive Officer Ben Joshua A. Baltazar said this is equivalent to about 45% of the country’s adult population, noting their data include records of more than a hundred million loan contracts.

“Since it consolidates both positive and negative credit data of borrowers from across all lender types, the CIC Credit Report provides a comprehensive view of an individual’s creditworthiness,” Mr. Baltazar said at a virtual forum on Monday.

Based on CIC data, installment transactions were the most dominant in the credit history of Filipinos as they make up 84 million entries. This is followed by 24 million credit card records and 1.5 million non-installment transactions.

Banks and other financial institutions have accessed more than a million credit reports from the CIC from 2010 to 2021, Mr. Baltazar said.

He said they have teamed up with the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Asian Development Bank in developing compatibility and integration with the National ID in taking credit history of Filipinos.

“Moving forward, the reliability and accuracy of our credit data will be greatly enhanced through the seamless integration with the national ID,” he said.

Mr. Baltazar said they also have an ongoing data quality and usability assessment for accessing entities of the CIC to help rebuild creditworthiness and economic recovery.

In January, the CIC said it will allow consumers to access credit reports through financial institutions to streamline the process.

Mr. Baltazar said the pilot batch for the program is expected to launch within the first quarter. — L.W.T. Noble

Primary clinics deliver eye care to underserved communities

PIXABAY

COLLABORATION to Preserve Sight, an initiative that provides equitable access to eye care in Southeast Asian communities, has assisted more than a million people by working with primary clinics and holding small-scale screenings at a higher frequency.  

“This initiative has clearly demonstrated that intensified vision screening works,” said Ruth Kuguru, Novartis’ APMEA (Asia Pacific/Middle East/Africa) region communications and patient engagement head, at a Jan. 27 forum.

As of December 2021, the initiative has reached one million people, screened 78,000 patients, detected vision impairment among 11,000 patients, facilitated 7 out of 10 diagnosed patients to seek consultation, and treated 6 of 10 patients — or over 4,700 patients.  

Social media has been an effective platform in raising awareness about the different eye conditions, said Dr. Noel G. Chua, chair of the National Committee for Sight Preservation in the Philippines. “This [awareness campaign] has resulted in an increased demand for eye care services,” he said.

Reaching people in marginalized communities will entail collaboration among multiple stakeholders, he added.  

Ms. Kuguru agreed, saying: “This village will not only need to work together but equally. We have the opportunity to continue the mindset shift of all players — from government to the payers and healthcare professionals.” 

Health should be seen as a driver of gross domestic product, she added, citing a Filipino construction worker who was provided cataract surgery.

Over two million individuals have visual impairment in the Philippines. According to the Fred Hollows Foundation, an Australia-based development organization that advocates for eye health, most of these Filipinos live below the national poverty line and are concentrated in rural areas where eye care services are difficult to access.  

The United Nations (UN) resolution on eye health, adopted by all 193 countries on July 23, 2021, enshrines eye health as part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It is the first agreement to be adopted by the international body that tackles preventable sight loss.

“Even in the depths of the pandemic, we were able to get a resolution on eye health,” said Dr. Drew Keys, regional program manager of the Western Pacific for the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness. “That is a cause of optimism.” — Patricia B. Mirasol

LRWC launches first licensed digital bingo services 

LISTED Leisure & Resort World Corp. (LRWC) has launched the country’s first online traditional bingo (OTB) game via its subsidiary called “BingoPlus,” which is in line with its digital expansion plans.

In a statement on Monday, LRWC subsidiary AB Leisure Exponent, Inc.’s BingoPlus is the first OTB that received a license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

“One of the company’s major strategies is to strengthen online platforms to provide more and better playing opportunities to customers during the pandemic and beyond,” LRWC President Tsui Kin Ming said.

“OTB is a great way to enjoy bingo from the comfort of ones’ home without having to miss out on social interaction and have the chance to win huge prizes,” he added.

BingoPlus has “rich promotional activities,” bonuses, and a jackpot prize that is said to be over P2 million. LRWC said it expects online traditional bingo to be one of its main revenue streams in the future.

Through the OTB, users can play bingo from their homes using a mobile phone. The company said that users can also virtually interact through online bingo chatrooms.

The OTB is also offered on-site in 18 Bingo Bonanza Traditional Bingo Halls within Metro Manila and in some provinces. LRWC is also gearing to expand the OTB offering to other traditional bingo sites across the country.

LRWC shares on Monday went up by 0.72% or one centavo to close at P1.40 apiece. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

Singer Rihanna expecting first child with rapper A$AP Rocky

RIHANNANOW.COM

LOS ANGELES — Pop singer Rihanna announced she is expecting her first child with rapper A$AP Rocky through photos released on Monday of the couple smiling, holding hands and revealing a visible baby bump.

Photographer Miles Diggs posted on his Instagram account an image with the caption “SHE IS!”

The pictures show Rihanna, 33, dressed in a jeans and hot-pink winter coat that is part way open and reveals her bare stomach. People magazine said the photos were taken over the weekend in Harlem.

The Barbados-born “Diamonds” singer, whose birth name is Robyn Fenty, has won nine Grammy awards and also developed the Fenty makeup and fashion lines.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were friends for many years before they began dating. The rapper told GQ magazine in May 2021 that she was “the love of my life” and that he “absolutely” wanted to be a father.

“I think I’d be an incredible, remarkably, overall amazing dad,” he said. “I would have a very fly child.” — Reuters

Shares to rise on economic recovery prospects

STOCKS are expected to trade higher this month on the back of recovery prospects as the economy reopens following a decline in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) gained 109.68 points or 1.51% to close at 7,361.65 on Monday, the last trading day of January, while the broader all shares index went up by 48.12 points or 1.24% to end at 3,904.20.

Month on month, the index climbed 239.02 points from its 7,122.63 finish on Dec. 31.

Local financial markets were closed on Tuesday due to a special non-working day in celebration of Chinese New Year.

This month, analysts see the market moving higher following an easing in mobility and travel restrictions, which would allow the economy to reopen further and boost spending.

“The local stock market could trade higher in this month as the economy further reopens towards greater normalcy, with the Alert Level eased to 2 from 3 for Metro Manila and other areas with lower healthcare utilization rate,” Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said in a Viber message.

Aside from putting the National Capital Region (NCR) and seven provinces under eased restrictions, the government will also allow COVID-19 vaccinated tourists from visa-free countries to enter the country starting Feb. 10.

Mr. Ricafort said the campaign period for national candidates, set to begin on Feb. 8, will partly set the direction for the local market this month.

First Metro Investment Corp. Head of Research Cristina S. Ulang said if the government’s plan to scrap the alert level system and impose granular lockdowns instead happens soon, the index could test the 7,500 levels near term.

The National Economic Development Authority on Monday said it is studying the elimination of the alert level system as the government should already begin shifting to an endemic mindset as a part of an exit plan from the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Diversified Securities, Inc. Equity Trader Aniceto K. Pangan said growing inflation concerns could cause volatility in the market.

World stocks climbed higher on Monday as investors digested new optimism from the US Treasury’s top economist that inflationary pressures should ease in 2022 due to weaker demand for goods, easing supply bottlenecks and a receding coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reported.

Lunar New Year holidays made for thin trading conditions in Asia. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan closed 1.11% higher.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.17%, while the S&P 500 gained 1.89%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq added 3.41%, but has borne the brunt of selling and is down 14% from a record peak last year.

RCBC’s Mr. Ricafort put the PSEi’s next important resistance at the 7,385-7,400 levels. — M.C. Lucenio with Reuters

Senate OK’s PDIC charter amendments

THE SENATE late on Monday unanimously approved on third and final reading a bill on the revised charter of the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) that would increase coverage and the eligibility of institutions.

With 23 affirmative votes, Senate Bill 2365 or an act amending sections 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 18, 22, 24, 26, and 28 of Republic Act 3591 or the PDIC charter was passed on third and final reading.

The bill makes PDIC an attached agency of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) rather than the Department of Finance.

Under the third reading copy of the bill, the board of directors will now have the authority to establish separate insurance funds and insurance arrangements or structures, taking into consideration Islamic banks.

The board may also raise the maximum amount of deposit insurance coverage to an amount indexed to inflation or in consideration of other economic indicators. They will review this every three years and increase as needed.

As specified in the definition of terms, certain products or arrangements of Islamic banks will now be deemed as deposits by the BSP.

The assessment of member banks will be determined by the board of directors provided that it will not exceed one-fifth of 1% per annum. The board will also establish a risk-based assessment system and impose a commensurate risk-based adjusted rate per annum per bank to ensure the sustainability of the corporation while rationalizing the financial burden on lenders.

The assessment of each insured bank will be determined by multiplying the adjusted annual assessment rate with the assessment base, but in no case should the assessment be less than P5,000 in words and figures.

Based on the bill, the board may establish a risk-based assessment system and rate that does not exceed two-fifths of 1% per annum multiplied by the assessment base. The semi-annual assessment for each insured bank was to be calculated from one-half of the assessment rate multiplied by the assessment base, noting still the P5,000 limit.

The assessment base will be the amount of the liability of the bank for deposits based on the total sum insured of the bank. In case there is an increase in maximum insured deposit, the PDIC board will have the authority to adjust the assessment rate for banks.

PDIC must also examine records and account books, and require information and reports from depository institutions if there are findings of fraud or unsafe banking related to deposit-taking.

Meanwhile, bank liquidation involving the purchase of all assets and assumption of all liabilities of a bank to a third party will be exempt from the Bulk Sales law or Republic Act 3952. — A.N.O. Tan

Vaccination among children

FREEPIK

The government is ramping up preparations for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 years old starting Feb. 4.

This comes after the government allowed vaccination for children 12 to 17 years old in efforts to also protect them from getting seriously ill from highly infectious and potentially fatal SARS-CoV-2 variants.   

Children are as likely to be infected with COVID-19 as adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. It added that before the vaccination recommendation for children was given, scientists conducted clinical trials with thousands of children, and no serious safety concerns were identified.

The CDC explained that a vaccinated child can be protected from the short and long-effects of COVID-19. It can also help protect family members who are not yet eligible for vaccination like siblings who are below the age of 5. Others who are expected to benefit are people who may be at increased risk of getting very sick if they were infected. If a vaccinated child still gets infected, the vaccine can also help him or her from getting seriously sick.  

The Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) and Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP) fully support vaccinating children ages 5 to 11 years old. “Although cases of COVID-19 in the pediatric age group remain less severe compared to older adults, children can still be hospitalized and even require admission to an intensive care unit,” the statement said.

It added that in the Philippines, around 3% of cases and 0.5% of mortalities of COVID-19 are among children aged 5–11 years old, a trend similar to that seen worldwide. 

Immunization is indeed one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions known. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the provision of vital health services including immunization for other vaccine-preventable diseases. The Omicron-driven surge that the country is experiencing is adding to this disruption.  

Global immunization coverage dropped from 86% in 2019 to 83% in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). An estimated 23 million children under the age of one year did not receive basic vaccines in 2020, around 3.7 million more than in 2019 and the highest number since 2009. In 2020, the number of completely unvaccinated children increased by 3.4 million. Only 19 vaccine introductions were reported in 2020, less than half of any year in the past two decades. The WHO predicts that this slowdown is likely to continue as countries focus on ongoing efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic, and on the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines.  

According to the WHO, the disruption in immunization services as a result of the pandemic may lead to more outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Moreover, the WHO warns that, if not addressed quickly, the disruption will add further strain to healthcare systems already overburdened because of COVID-19. In addition, the potential for co-circulation of influenza, or any other epidemic pathogens (for example, measles, respiratory syncytial virus, and meningitis), and COVID-19 could further burden healthcare systems in the upcoming months.

Data from the Department of Health (DoH) showed that our country’s immunization rate dropped from 69% in 2019 to 65% in 2020. The DoH has reiterated its appeal to all parents to bring their children to health centers for free vaccines that protect against life-threatening diseases.

To broaden access to immunization services amid the pandemic, DoH health workers are conducting house-to-house immunization, while others ride tricycles or boats to vaccinate children in far-flung areas. Community-based immunizations are also being implemented in targeted hard-to-reach communities.  

While emphasis is placed on pediatric immunization coverage, vaccination can also prevent an overall great number of deaths in older adults, and is essential to living healthier lives. Taking a life-course approach to immunization — vaccination given through all phases of life — will not only help individuals maintain good health throughout their life, but also has the potential for enormous public health and socioeconomic benefits, according to Health Policy Partnership.  

“Through herd immunity, widespread vaccination can reduce rates of illness in our societies, including among people who are not vaccinated. This is crucial for vulnerable people, such as young infants or people with certain illnesses, who cannot be vaccinated themselves. High vaccination rates can also help to reduce our reliance on antibiotics, which contributes to antimicrobial resistance — one of the most pressing challenges facing healthcare in the 21st century,” Health Policy Partnership explained.  

To support a successful implementation of life-course immunization, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) recommends that governments and other stakeholders expand vaccine delivery channels to include pharmacy-based, community-based, employer-based, residential-care-based, and school-based delivery of vaccinations.

  

Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), which represents the biopharmaceutical medicines and vaccines industry in the country. Its members are at the forefront of research and development efforts for COVID-19 and other diseases that affect Filipinos. 

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