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2% Filipinos fully vaccinated so far — DOH

June 14, 2021 Lee Ann P. Ducusin 364 views

THE Department of Health yesterday reported that only two million of the Philippines’ 109.48-million population received both doses of COVID-19 vaccines, nearly three months after the national government started its vaccination program.

Health Undersecretary and treatment czar Leopoldo Vega said the latest figure when he was pressed to give updates on the government’s inoculation program.

“This will take a long time because we know that as of now, we have only fully vaccinated around 2% of our population. That’s far from our target before the end of the year on vaccinating 50% to 70% of the population,” he said.

Vega added that to hit the target, 500,000 people should get vaccinated daily, however the inadequate supply of vaccines is dragging on the vaccination process.

At the onset of 2020, Philippine population stood at 109.48 million, and was projected to hit 110.88 by the end of 2021, based on government data.

The DOH official also noted that transportation and temperature concerns are among factors contributing to the delayed delivery of vaccines in some provinces.

He advised that AstraZeneca, Sinovac and other vaccine brands that are not sensitive to storage temperatures should be brought to far-flung areas in the country.

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