With the arrival of more coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccine brands, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the government will now be focusing on the vaccination in the provinces.
In an interview over ABS-CBN TeleRadyo on Tuesday, Oct 12, DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said that the bulk of the COVID-19 vaccines will be delivered to the provinces after 91 percent of Metro Manila’s eligible population got their first vaccine dose.
Currently, Malaya noted that there are 36 million to 37 million vaccines being shipped to the provinces with the numerous arrival of the vaccines in the country daily.
At present, Malaya disclosed that 26.4 million individuals or 34 percent have been administered with the initial COVID-19 vaccine injection.
With the increased number of vaccine supplies, the Inter-Agency Task force (IATF) and the Department of Health (DOH) had started the COVID-19 vaccination for the general population and is currently on-going based on the DOH advisory.
The DILG spokesperson urged the unvaccinated eligible individuals to get the COVID-19 jab with the vaccination centers opened nationwide.
Based on the performance of the local government units (LGUs), Malaya noted that the target of population protection or herd immunity by the end of the year is achievable provided there is ample COVID-19 vaccine supply.
The stable supply of COVID19 vaccines will allow the targeted vaccination of half a million or even more individuals a day nationwide.
Malaya saw the need for full cooperation urging the public to harness their persuasive skills to entice their unvaccianted friends and relatives to get the COVID-19 vaccine jabs. (Chito A. Chavez)