The local government of Quezon City may have to temporarily suspend its first dose vaccination starting Tuesday, July 6, as the city's vaccine supply runs out.
"We are only going to give vaccines to those getting their second dose tomorrow (July 7)," the city's Public Affairs and Information Services Department said in a Viber message to reporters.
Mayor Joy Belmonte on Tuesday night said that despite the suspension of the local government's vaccination program, she remains confident that the city will still be able to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating 70 percent of its total population on its target date.
She said the local government can still do it despite the delays in the arrival of new COVID-19 vaccines supply from the national government because the city has already proven that it can inoculate at least 45,000 individuals a day.
"We can meet the target if a bulk of new vaccine supplies arrives," Belmonte told reporters in an interview after she welcomed Cabinet members who observed the city's Bakuna Nights program at the Quezon City Hall grounds.
Belmonte also said she is considering launching another Bakuna Nights program in the Novaliches area to expedite the city's vaccination process.
Meanwhile, the local government units of Caloocan and Valenzuela cities already suspended their vaccination programs starting July 4 and 6, respectively, as they already ran out of vaccine supplies.