Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 10) — The government expects all Filipino voters to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the national elections next year.
“I think we have covered everybody…all voters, I mean” by the May 2022 elections, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said.
Nograles, who is also co-chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases, was responding to questions about the government’s plan for the upcoming polls, which could be a superspreader event.
He noted that the IATF cannot release the guidelines for the 2022 polls because it is the duty of the Commission on Elections.
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If the vaccination of all voters will be achieved, Nograles said the government could then focus on immunizing minors starting next year.
Currently, the government is vaccinating Filipinos as young as 18 years old – the minimum voting age in the country.
Latest government data showed around 11.6 million Filipinos are now fully protected from the coronavirus, still far from the goal of immunizing 70% of the target population to achieve herd immunity by yearend.
CNN Philippines correspondent Crissy Dimatulac contributed to this report.
