QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- The National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. has reported that 100% of health frontline workers (A1 priority group) were already inoculated with first dose of COVID-19 vaccines.
This announcement, being one of the government's significant milestones in the national vaccination program, was made following the arrival of additional 1 million doses of Sinovac vaccines last Monday, June 28.
This brought the China-manufactured jabs as the steadiest supply in the Philippines with a total of 12 million delivered doses at present, surpassing the initial 2.5 million vaccine supply from AstraZeneca, 2.4 million from Pfizer, 249,000 from Moderna, and 180,000 of Sputnik V by Gamaleya Research Institute.
The sustained pace of both the national and local government units on the active deployment of vaccines made the sporadic immunity among priority regions possible. As of June 28, the Philippines has already vaccinated 10.6 million Filipinos which was symbolically celebrated at Valenzuela Astrodome.
Meanwhile, another ceremonial vaccination was held at the Laguna Technopark, Sta. Rosa, Laguna to inoculate the first frontline personnel to be immunized among the A4 priority list in CALABARZON.
NTF Deputy Chief Implementer Secretary Vince Dizon who gives precedence to the immunization of economic frontliners is one of the attendees of the said event together with Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque, DILG Asec. Francisco R. Cruz, AC Health Head Paolo Borromeo, and Mayor Arlene Arcillas.
The national government is aiming to expand the deployment of vaccination hubs to other industrial cities or economic zones in Southern Luzon according to Secretary Dizon.
Secretary Roque, on the other hand, sought to rectify the assessment of World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific saying that the Philippines is home to the ‘highest number of new cases and new deaths’ from among the countries in the said region.
According to the Presidential Spokesperson, the case fatality rate in the Philippines has been consistently set to 1.7% which is lower than the worldwide average of about 2.1%.
If the goal is an absolute zero mortality rate, he said, the Filipino public should take the initiative to get vaccinated. (PIA NCR)
