Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. lauded medical frontliners and local government unit (LGU) officials on Saturday, July 24, for continuing the inoculation program against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) even with the incessant rains caused by southwest monsoon (habagat) and enhanced by typhoon "Fabian."
"Despite the inclement weather, our implementing units have remained resilient and are committed to inoculating more Filipinos. We are grateful to all frontliners in the government, and the private sector who continue to serve the public despite the many challenges we continue to face," Galvez said in a statement.
Last Thursday, the country recorded its highest single-day vaccine throughput as it administered 472,356 doses nationwide.
The country has so far administered more than 16.7 million doses: 10.9 million Filipinos received their first dose while 5.6 million others were deemed fully vaccinated after getting two doses.
"We are now past the crawl and walk stages, as we gradually run towards our goal of inoculating half a million Filipinos per day this quarter. This is a preview of better things to come in the remaining six months of 2021," Galvez said.
The vaccine stockpile stands at 30,985,130 doses as of Friday, of which 13.5 million doses were delivered this month.
More than six million doses are scheduled for delivery in the final week of July.
With the confirmed local transmission of the Delta variant in the country, Galvez called on the public to do their share in protecting their family members and communities against the highly transmissible variant of COVID-19 by getting themselves vaccinated and following the minimum public health standards.
"The best way to stop and limit the spread of the Delta variant, along with getting the vaccine, is diligently complying with minimum public health standards," he said.
"Protecting our health is a shared responsibility. This is not just about protecting yourselves. Ito ang panahon ng pakikipagkapwa-tao. This is protecting everyone in your home, in your workplace, and everyone you interact with everyday like drivers, supermarket personnel, and co-commuters," he added.