Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 13) — The government’s goal of inoculating 70 million Filipinos against COVID-19 by year-end is still on track despite the country’s official population surpassing authorities’ initial estimate, the National Economic and Development Authority said.
In a virtual briefing on Tuesday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua noted the small disparity between the Philippines’ official 109.03 million population as of May 2020 and the government’s 108.77 million prior estimate.
“We are just higher by 263,000 out of the 70 million we want to inoculate,” said the NEDA chief. “So we are broadly on track.”
“The deviation is not even 1% [of the total population],” he explained. “We are well able to fund this additional [figure].”
The Philippines is currently vaccinating health workers, elderlies, people with comorbidities, economic frontliners, and indigents against the highly contagious disease.
Approximately 13.19 million doses have already been administered as of July 11, according to latest government data. About 9.67 million have received their first dose, while 3.52 million have gotten both shots.
Chua, along with his fellow economic managers, has been pushing for a speedier, more efficient vaccine rollout coupled with the implementation of the government’s recovery package and efforts to gradually and safely open the economy further to help fast-track recovery.
The economy remains in recession this year as it logged a milder 4.2% contraction from January to March.
