Five months since the country's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination drive started, more than 24 million vaccine doses have already been administered.
The Philippines' COVID-19 vaccination drive started last March 1, inoculating first the country's healthcare workers.
Currently, the vaccination program covers other priority groups such as senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, essential workers, poor population, among others.
As of August 8, a total of 24,479,750 vaccine doses were administered nationwide. Of which, 13,087,781 people were partially vaccinated, while 11,391,969 individuals were fully vaccinated.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), eight vaccine manufacturers have already secured an emergency use authorization (EUA) in the Philippines. The vaccines that can be used in the country are those made by Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Sinovac Biotech, Gamaleya Research Institute, Janssen (J&J), Bharat Biotech, Moderna, and Sinopharm.
The vaccines currently available in the Philippines and are currently being used in the vaccination drive are those made by Sinovac Biotech, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Gamaleya Research Institute, Janssen (J&J), and Moderna.
Data from FDA showed that as of August 8, the number of people who received their first dose of Sinovac vaccine stood at 8,070,527; while 5,823,724 have completed their two doses.
For AstraZeneca, 3,325,260 people got their first dose; while 1,275,095 have already been fully vaccinated.
There were 253,548 people who got their first dose of Sputnik V vaccine made by Gamaleya Research Institute, while 59,622 completed the two doses.
For Pfizer-BioNTech, 1,312,524 individuals got their first dose, while 1,139,880 completed the two-dose regimen.
For Moderna, 126,192 people got their first dose, while 55,246 have already been fully vaccinated.
A total of 3,038,402 people were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 after they received the single-shot vaccine made by Janssen pharmaceuticals.
Eligible individuals were encouraged to get vaccinated against the viral illness.
“Vaccines are effective in reducing morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19, which will be very instrumental in our goal of saving lives,” the Department of Health (DOH) said.