Most priority healthcare workers in Manila have received first dose of COVID-19 vaccine
MANILA, Philippines — The Manila city government on Thursday said almost 4,000 of its targeted 5,000 frontline healthcare workers have already received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine.
As of March 16, a total of 3,947 healthcare workers in public hospitals have already been vaccinated, according to Dr. Arnold Pangan, Manila City's health officer.
Hundreds more were inoculated on Thursday morning during simultaneous drives at the Sta. Ana Hospital and Ospital ng Maynila, according to the city's public information office.
"Hopefully, we're encouraging everybody else in our six hospitals and the Manila Health Department that this is the time for them to be vaccinated," Pangan is quoted as saying partially in Filipino.
Manila PIO said another 836 healthcare workers are expected to be vaccinated with jabs from Sinovac while vaccines from AstraZeneca will be administered to 528 more medical frontliners.
Residents of the city were also urged to reserve their slots for when vaccines are made available to the general public. So far, some 13, 243 have registered through www.manilacovid19vaccine.com, according to Manila PIO.
National gov't vaccinates 240K of targeted 1.7M healthcare workers
As of March 16, more than two weeks into its vaccination program, the national government has vaccinated some 240,297 of its 1.7 million targeted healthcare workers across the country.
Sens. Panfilo Lacson and Risa Hontiveros have flagged the slow pace of vaccination, with the latter noting it will take at least four more months to finish inoculating healthcare workers at the government's current pace.
Lacson earlier warned it could take 11 years and eight months, or until 2033, to reach herd immunity.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday told CNN Philippines' "The Source" that the government hopes to be vaccinating 450,000 people a day by April — a promise questioned by both senators who noted officials' long-running struggle to meet their own goals. — Bella Perez-Rubio
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