The number of Filipino health workers vaccinated against the coronavirus disease advanced closer to the 250,000 level on March 16 since the arrival of the more than one million doses of donated vaccines a few weeks ago.

Speaking in his virtual media briefing, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that a total of 240,297 medical personnel have already received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

“Nasa 97 percent na po or 1,092,200 of the available doses ang napamahagi na sa 156 vaccination sites sa labimpitong rehiyon sa Pilipinas (It is 97 percent or 1,092,200 of the available doses have been distributed to 156 vaccination sites in the 17 regions across the country),” he added.

The Philippines has already rolled out its vaccination program, but it was the last among the Southeast Asian country, lagging behind Myanmar, which is under a violent political upheaval.

It primarily depends on the 1.125 million COVID-19 vaccines donated by China’s Sinovac and the United Kingdom’s AstraZeneca, and has yet to receive vaccines it procured from its billions of fund for the pandemic.

Roque, who is currently in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, also gave an update on the country’s hospital bed occupancy rate.

In his presentation, he cited 53 percent of intensive care unit (ICU) beds are still available; isolation beds, 60 percent available; and ward beds, 67 percent.

“Sapat pa ba ang ating hospital ngayong dumarami po ang kaso ng COVID-19? Well, mukha naman sapat pa sa ngayon (Are the hospitals enough now that the COVID-19 cases are increasing? Well, it seemed currently enough),” Roque said.

This was contrary to the report from the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP), which said that its beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients are now 80-percent occupied.

Even the Department of Health (DOH) said over the weekend that 20 of the Metro Manila hospitals are under critical level, which meant that the allotted hospital beds for COVID-19 patients are already at 85 percent.

Meanwhile, Roque said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed 11.088 million cloth face masks in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Davao region.

“There are 1.5 million pieces that will be turned over in Cavite next week and one million in Rizal,” he added.