An additional supply of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines were deployed in places that are considered as "areas of concern" amid the threat of the more transmissible Delta variant.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., vaccine czar and chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, said the inoculation program in Northern Mindanao (Region 10), National Capital Region (NCR), Western Visayas (Region 6) and other areas of concern should be accelerated to counter the potentially devastating effects of a Delta outbreak.
"We are redeploying our vaccines to the Delta variant 'areas of concern' in Region X, in NCR, in Region VI at saka po ‘yong mga ECQ at MECQ areas (and areas that are placed under ECQ and MECQ)," Galvez said at President Duterte's pre-recorded public address late Monday night, July 19.
Experts said that the Delta variant is 60 percent more transmissible than the original strain of COVID-19.
While a single person infected with the original strain of COVID-19 can infect two other persons, a single person infected with the Delta variant can infect up to eight persons.
According to Galvez, 128,000 doses of the single-dose Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccine were transported in Northern Mindanao when the NTF visited the region on Monday.
Meanwhile, an additional 20,000 doses were alloted in Cagayan de Oro City and 3,000 doses in Gingoog City, both in the province of Misamis Oriental.
Galvez said the steady supply of vaccines in NCR and Region 6 will be continued to sustain the inoculation program of the local government units (LGUs).
Farther south, the NTF also brought 30,000 doses of J&J in Tawi-Tawi that will be rolled out in the municipalities of Sitangkai, Turtles Island, and Mapun Island.
Another 30,000 doses were deployed in the island province of Basilan.
More than 300,000 doses were also allocated in the Bangsamoro Autnomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Galvez was also set to visit General Santos City on Tuesday to personally oversee the status of its border control measures and vaccination program.
He said that since the city is frequently visited by Indonesian and Malaysian fishermen, the threat of the entry of Delta variant is also present. The Delta variant is believed to have caused the recent spike of cases in Indonesia and Malaysia.
"Nakita natin na talagang equitable na po ang distribution natin (We have seen that the distribution has already been equitable)," Galvez stressed.