The Department of Health yesterday expanded the eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to senior citizens and individuals with comorbidities.
The DOH said the phased administration of booster doses to those part of priority groups A2 and A3 will begin today (Monday, Nov. 22).
Phase 1 will cover all senior citizens and A3 individuals in immunocompromised state. Phase 2 will include all remaining A3 population with other comorbidities.
Immunocompromised individuals who are eligible to receive the additional vaccine dose include those with immunodeficiency state, people living with HIV, active cancer or malignancy, transplant patients, and patients under immunosuppressive treatments.
The DOH said those belonging to A2 and A3 categories are eligible to be given a single booster dose, either a homologous (same vaccine brand) or a heterologous (mixed brand) dose.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health reported Sunday 2,227 new cases of COVID-19, raising the Philippines' total case count to 2,826,410.
According to the DOH, the new cases brought the country's active case count to 21,101, of which 56.9 percent are mild, 4.4 percent are asymptomatic, 13 percent are severe, and 5.5 percent are in critical condition.
Total recoveries climbed to 2,758,235 after 3,152 more patients defeated the respiratory illness.
The number of deaths breached the 47,000-mark with 175 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 47,074.
For its part, the Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP) wants the government to further simplify the requirements for travelers, and make necessary adjustments in Philippine travel policies to meet the resurging travel demand during the holidays.
Currently, the Philippine airline industry is experiencing high demand for flights based on forward bookings and passenger inquiries.
However, passenger sentiments expressed through the various platforms of all ACAP members indicate the challenges they face with varied requirements set by the local government units.
On domestic travel, ACAP is urging LGUs to accept vaccine cards, with or without QR codes. This will simplify the proof of vaccination requirement regardless of the origin of the vaccine card.
Likewise, ACAP is also appealing to the government to increase the prevailing cap of four thousand to ten thousand passengers daily on international arrivals for inbound passengers carried by all international airlines into the country.
ACAP also shared the view that fully vaccinated inbound travelers from “Green List” countries should no longer form part of, and be excluded from the daily cap on international arrivals, considering that these travelers are no longer undergoing facility-based quarantine upon their arrival.
ACAP is likewise calling for a reduction of quarantine days for fully-vaccinated passengers from "Yellow List" countries, from the current five days to just two days.
These recommendations, if considered and adopted by the government, will enable travelers, especially Overseas Filipino Workers and Balikbayans who have long been wanting to return to the Philippines for Christmas, to enjoy seamless, convenient and hassle-free travel across all touchpoints of their journey.
