An official of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday, April 19, said the Philippines is still short of protecting all health workers.
"Right now, we are happy to note that the Philippines has provided vaccine to 1.25 million people," Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO country representative to the Philippines, said during the Laging Handa press briefing.
"Of that, 63 percent of the HCWs have been protected. We are still short of protecting all HCWs," he added.
Abeyasinghe said the current surge in coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) cases demonstrates that "we need to have HCWs fully protected so that they can care for the sick."
"We continue to emphasize that let’s work on a priority basis to protect frontline HCWs," he said.
"Following the prioritization group is important to maximize the impact of vaccination," added Abeyasinghe.
On April 14, the Department of Health (DOH) said more than 1 million Filipinos have already been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said almost 900,00O of healthcare workers had been vaccinated already, adding that most of them are in hospitals and community.