Another national vax day eyed to achieve 77 million target

MANILA, Philippines — The government may hold another round of mass vaccinations to achieve its goal of fully vaccinating 77 million people against COVID-19 within the first quarter of the year, Malacañang said yesterday.

Acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said the government sought to fully vaccinate 54 million Filipinos last year, but the figure was only achieved this month because of the effects of Typhoon Odette.

“We are studying … the National Vaccination Days that you mentioned,” Nograles told One News PH yesterday.

“We will look at the output of the vaccine demand generation we are working on. But if we see the need, for example, the first quarter of 2022 is about to end and we have not yet reached the 77 million target, then, perhaps, it is one of the strategies we will consider,” he added.

The Duterte administration and the private sector organized two rounds of mass vaccinations late last year to boost vaccine confidence and to contain COVID-19.

About eight million persons were vaccinated during the first wave of the vaccination campaign held from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 while close to 7.5 million individuals were jabbed during the second round conducted from Dec. 15 to 23.

“We should fully vaccinate 77 million persons by the end of the first quarter of 2022. That’s months before the May elections. So, we are working to achieve it, if not by the end of the first quarter of 2022, at least before the May elections, the 77 million target, and that includes the adult population,” Nograles said.

As of Jan. 18, more than 56 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated, while 59.26 million have received their first dose. About 5.3 million persons have received their booster doses.

The government seeks to vaccinate 90 million persons by June. It also aims to provide 72.16 million boosters for the adult population and to inoculate 12.74 million minors aged 12 to 17 years with primary doses and booster shots this year.

It also seeks to vaccinate 15.56 million minors aged five to 11 years with primaries and boosters, and 11.11 million children aged zero to four years with primary doses by yearend. – Rudy Santos