MANILA --  Despite the onslaught of Typhoon Odette and the commemoration of the holiday season, the government surpassed the target set for the second phase of its National Vaccine Days (NVD), with close to 7.5-M Filipinos vaccinated against COVID-19 in NVD activities held from December 15 to December 23 nationwide.

This was announced on Monday by Cabinet Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Karlo Nograles, who revealed that as of December 26, 2021, a total of 7,497,802 doses were administered during the second iteration of the NVD, exceeding the initial target of 7,326,613 jabs.

"We thank our kababayans for their cooperation and for the steps they have taken to protect themselves, their families, and their communities," said Nograles, who is also co-chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force.

"We likewise commend our medical frontliners, vaccinators, and volunteers for their sacrifice, dedication and service to the country."

For NVD phase 2, Region 4-A recorded the highest number of cumulative jabs with 1,244,191, followed by Region 3 with 919,822, and Region 6 with 658,805 administered jabs.

Meanwhile, Region 1 recorded the highest percentage of jabs administered compared to its NVD 2 target, with 561,858 jabs or 277.84 percent of its 202,224 target jabs to be administered.

Region 2 followed, achieving 232.57 percent of their target, while Region 10 accomplished 173.27 percent of its NVD 2 target.

The Palace official stressed that with the looming threat of the Omicron variant, "we must continue to be vigilant and alert by observing the minimum public health standards on top of getting vaccinated."

Meanwhile, National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr assured that there are vaccine supplies sufficient to achieve the government's target to fully vaccinate 77 million Filipinos by the first quarter of 2022.

Galvez added that the government's priority is still to vaccinate the unvaccinated, including the pediatric population. (OPS)