Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 1) — President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the proportionate distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across all regions in the country
He instructed vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. to allocate the vaccines on a “pro rata” basis.
Metro Manila — the virus epicenter in the country — and other areas experiencing COVID-19 surges have been prioritized in the inoculation program, receiving the bulk of available vaccine doses to address the case spikes.
“Paghati-hatian natin ito… The bulk of the people of the NCR mayroon na ho silang bakuna. Kung magdating ‘yong sunod na marami, eh you divide it amongst the local government units. Sana magawa ito sa madaling panahon,” he said during his televised address on Monday.
[Translation: We will split this. The bulk of residents in Metro Manila have already received their vaccines. Once the next shipments arrive, you divide it amongst the local government units. I hope this can be done as soon as possible.]
At least 3.4 million doses of Sinovac, Pfizer, and Moderna vaccines are expected to arrive in June, according to Galvez.
With more doses arriving in the next few months, the vaccine czar said the inoculation target will be raised to 500,000 up to 740,000 shots per day during the third quarter of 2021.
He said this is feasible as the government’s vaccination program maintains its momentum and gains speed as days go by.
“Ito na po ‘yong patataasin na po natin ‘yong ating jabs per day na kayang-kaya po natin ‘yong 500k to 740k per day… Pagka dumami po ang ating mga volumes ay tataas na rin po ang ating vaccination,” he said during their Cabinet meeting.
[Translation: We will increase our jabs conducted per day. We can achieve 500,000 to 740,000 per day. Once the volume goes up, our vaccinations will also increase.]
The Philippines has administered a total of 5.18 million jabs, with 1,206,371 people having completed their second dose since the launch of the national program in March. The average daily administered doses is now at 144,000.
At least 93% of the healthcare workers in the country have received their vaccines. Only 1.3 million out of the 9.8 million senior citizens in the country have been vaccinated, while 1.17 million out of 5 million people with comorbidities have gotten their shots.
