MANILA (UPDATED)— Some 93 percent of those who have died from the coronavirus in the Philippines were not vaccinated against the respiratory disease, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said on Monday.

Individuals who have not been immunized against COVID-19 also comprise 85 percent of severe and critical coronavirus cases in the country, Duque said in a recorded briefing Monday led by President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Ang laking bagay kapag hindi po sila bakunado . . . Talagang they account for the biggest number or percentage of the total deaths and also for the severe and critical cases," the health chief said.

The Department of Health (DOH), in an earlier separate statement, said that 77.4 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the country from Nov. 5, 2021 to Feb. 6, 2022 are individuals who are not fully vaccinated.

More than 71 percent of severe and critical cases during the same period also have not yet fully received their COVID-19 primary shots, according to the DOH.

Duque urged Filipinos who have not yet been immunized to get their COVID-19 shots.

The Philippines has so far tallied a total of 3,616,387 cases, of which 116,720 or 3.2 percent remain active. COVID-related deaths in the country rose to 54,538 on Monday, while recoveries reached 3,445,129.

The Philippines on Monday expanded its pediatric vaccination to children aged 5 to 11.

The program, which rolled out in six sites in Metro Manila and will later be expanded nationwide, has so far inoculated 7,416 kids in the age bracket, vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez said in the briefing.

The Philippines has fully vaccinated 6.28 million children aged 12 to 17 as of Jan. 23 so far, according to DOH data.

In total, the country has fully inoculated 59.8 million individuals, while 60.7 million others have received an initial dose. There were also 8 million booster shots administered, as of Friday, based on official data.

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