THE government now claims to be on a rampage, boasting of its capability to vaccinate 162,000 doses daily – and seen to go higher with a stable supply in sight.
According to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, the government has so far administered 4,097,425 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, ranking second among its neighbors in Southeast Asia in terms of jab distribution.
Of this number, 949,939 Filipinos have been fully vaccinated, while 3,147,486 have received their first dose, said the task force in a statement.
The Philippines ranks 13th among 47 Asian nations in terms of total number of administered doses and 37th out of 196 countries worldwide, the task force said.
Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. also underscored the need for the government to maintain its momentum and focus on “building up our vaccine supply, ramping up our vaccination rate, and encouraging more of our countrymen to get the jab.”
“I am confident that as we start inoculating our economic frontliners and indigenous population by June, we will be able to double this figure and vaccinate more than 4 million people as long there is a steady supply of vaccines,” he said.
“This will be the key in saving more lives, putting an end to this pandemic, and revitalizing our economy.”
Interestingly, Galvez admits that the current daily vaccination average remains short, adding that the government needs to conduct 500,000 daily COVID-19 vaccinations in Metro Manila and eight other economic hubs by November. The national vaccine rollout started March 1.
The government is targeting to inoculate 70 million of its population nationwide by the end of the year to achieve herd immunity.