43% of COVID deaths unvaccinated

Forty-three percent of COVID-19-related deaths in the country from January 1 to May 14, 2023, involved people who have not been vaccinated against the respiratory disease, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

Of the 3,349 COVID-19 deaths recorded during this period, 1,425 or 43 percent were unvaccinated.

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire emphasized that if these individuals had been vaccinated, such adverse outcomes might have been avoided.

She urged Filipinos to get their COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots, stating that vaccination is the strongest and most effective weapon against the virus.

Three years since the pandemic began, a total of 66,453 people in the country have died from the disease.

As of May 14, 2023, over 78.4 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with over 23.8 million having received their first booster dose and almost 4.4 million getting their second booster shot.