Herd immunity target in NCR close to being achieved as more are vaccinated

(Eagle News) – Almost 70 percent of the target population in Metro Manila has already been fully vaccinated which means it is near the target of possible herd immunity for the population in the country’s capital region.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in his regular press briefing on Thursday, Sept. 23, announced the latest data that those fully vaccinated in the National Capital Region (NCR) have reached 6,760,863 or 69.16 percent of the target population.

“Malapit na po sa 70 percent,” Roque noted.

He said that by December, the percentage of those fully vaccinated in Metro Manila could reach almost 80 percent.

Total doses administered as of Sept. 22, 2021 in Metro Manila hit more than 15 million.

Those who received just the first dose were more than 8.3 million or 85.14 percent of the target population.

There are also increasing number of people being vaccinated daily.

As of Tuesday, Sept. 21, daily jabs hit in NCR were 110,326, Malacanang said.

With the increasing number of COVID vaccine doses arriving, Roque advised more of the residents in Metro Manila to have themselves vaccinated as a protection against having severe COVID-19.

Earlier, the National Task Force against COVID-19 said that it is also waiting for the green light so COVID-19 booster shots or a third dose of the vaccine could be given to health frontliners, especially those who are directly handling COVID-19 patients.

It is also awaiting the go signal from the World Health Organization for vaccines to be administered to children 12 years old and above.

So far, the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already revised the emergency use authorization (EUA) earlier granted to Pfizer and Moderna to allow its administration to children 12 years old and above.

Malacanang has earlier said that it was targeting to vaccinate 70 percent of the country’s population against COVID-19 to achieve the so-called herd immunity.

However, the entry of the Delta variant which has a higher infectivity and transmission rate was a game changer, so that the percentage to be considered for herd immunity is now being considered for revision.

WHO has not yet determined the percentage for herd immunity against COVID-19.

“The proportion of the population that must be vaccinated against COVID-19 to begin inducing herd immunity is not known. This is an important area of research and will likely vary according to the community, the vaccine, the populations prioritized for vaccination, and other factors,” WHO said in an earlier statement.

“To safely achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, a substantial proportion of a population would need to be vaccinated, lowering the overall amount of virus able to spread in the whole population,” WHO said.

(Eagle News Service)