BY GERARD NAVAL and JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR
GOVERNMENT is targeting to have fully vaccinated about 90 percent of the population, or some 99 million Filipinos, by the time President Duterte steps down in June next year, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said yesterday.
He said the target will be met if the government would fully inoculate 54 million Filipinos against COVID-19 by the end of the year and 77 million in the early part of 2022.
“I’m confident that we will be able to achieve this at the rate we are going,” Duque said at the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” vaccination event at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City, adding his confidence is also boosted by the second round of the national vaccination program set on December 15 to 17.
In the first round of the nationwide activity, held from November 29 to December 1, some 9.9 million vaccine doses were administered. The program was extended for two days.
“We have proven in the first three days of massive vaccination rollout (that we can vaccinate more),” said Duque.
As of December 8, DOH records show some 39.6 million fully vaccinated individuals, about 54 million received the first dose, and 643,370 individuals got booster shots.
The country has received at least 150 million doses of vaccines.
Duque said and National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr expressed belief the targets are achievable.
Galvez said the country was able to administer 10.2 million jabs during the national vaccination days that enabled the country to reach its target of administering the first jab to 54 million by the end of November. The next target is to fully vaccinate 54 million people by the end of the year.
The government recognized the “best performers” or local government units that vaccinated the highest number of individuals during the national vaccination days and awarded P25,000 to Rodriguez in Rizal (48,383 jabs), Tanza in Cavite (25.277 jabs), and Arayat in Pampanga (20,955 jabs) as the Top Performing Municipalities; Cebu City as Best City (49,383 jabs), Laguna as Best Province (271,989 jabs), and Calabarzon (Region IV) was named best region (1.147 million).
General Santos City (6873 jabs), Tawi-Tawi (2,668 jabs), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (785 jabs) were also recognized as the most improved areas.
President Duterte, in his message read by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, thanked those who participated in the three-day vaccination program, from the public, volunteers, healthcare workers, and local government units (LGUs) to private partners such as SM Supermalls, McDonalds, Jollibee Foods Corp., Angkas, Grab, AC Health, Ayala Malls, Robinsons, Megaworld, Smart, and Globe.
The President hoped that the second phase of Bayanihan, Bakunahan from December 15 to 17 will be as successful.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said there is no need, at least for now, to issue show-cause orders to LGUs that are lagging in the vaccination of their constituents.
“We are giving them also the chance and the opportunity to improve, increase their vaccination rate,” said Año, a key member of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
“That’s why we are having part two (of the national vaccination days) on December 15, 16 and 17,” Año also said.
Last month, Interior Undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya said the DILG may soon start issuing show-cause orders against the LGUs and was just waiting for Año’s approval.
Meanwhile, Malaya said LGUs should accept both vaccination cards or VaxCertPH digital certificates, whichever is available, for domestic travel while the VaxCertPH certification program is still under soft launch. — With Victor Reyes
