THE government’s vaccination program against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is halfway in meeting its target of fully inoculating 77.139 million Filipinos against the illness, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Monday night.
In his weekly report to the President Duterte, Duque said that as of December 5, more than 38 million out of the 77.139 million targeted individuals are already fully vaccinated, while 56.7 million or 73.5 percent have received their first dose.
Duque noted that the number of those who have received their first dose has surpassed the 54 million Filipinos that the government has set out to vaccinate with their first jabs by the end of November.
The December 6 dashboard of the National COVID-19 Vaccination indicated 92.75 million doses have already been administered nationwide, which included the 38.699 million fully vaccinated, 53.49 million first dose, and 561,125 individuals who have received their booster shots.
President Duterte, during the two-part Talk to the People address that aired on Monday night and Tuesday morning, expressed hope that the second Bayanihan, Bakunahan National Vaccination Day (NVD) program would be as successful as the November 29 to December 3 undertaking.
Government is looking at holding the second NVD from December 15 to 17.
Duterte said 10.2 million doses of vaccines were administered during the first week of the NVD, which he said was a “huge achievement” for the country.
The President thanked the doctors, nurses, other health workers and volunteers who participated in the event, as well as the government officials who organized it, particularly Duque and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez. Jr.
Presidential adviser on COVID response Vince Dizon reassured the public that the country has enough supply of vaccines available at present and at least 67 million doses are expected to be delivered within the month.
The government plans on using most of the vaccines delivered in December for second dose and booster shots that will be administered in the first quarter of 2022.
“Our problem is no longer the supply. The challenge now is to administer as fast as possible the vaccines that we receive,” Dizon said.
More than 1.082 million doses of Pfizer are expected to be delivered on Wednesday night.
More than 149 million doses of vaccines have already been delivered to the country as of December 6.
At the House of Representatives, San Jose Del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes opposed the pilot run of face-to-face classes for unvaccinated school children, saying the IATF should prioritize the vaccination of children 5 to 11 years old before allowing them to go back to school.
In privilege speech Monday, Robes if face-to-face classes in the college level are limited to fully vaccinated students, the same standard of protection should be given to children in kinder and elementary schools.
“I am a mother and I know how a parent feels when their children go to school amid the threat of a virus. Those areas with face-to-face classes are children belonging to 5 to 11 age group, which remains unvaccinated because it is yet to be allowed by the government,” Robes said in Filipino.
She also pointed out that no vaccine manufacturer has submitted an Emergency Use Application for children 5 years to 11 years of age. — With Wendell Vigilia
