PH vax target now 80% of 110M population

MANILA – As vaccine deliveries are arriving at a faster pace and the younger age group will be included in the inoculation drive, the government has set the bar higher in its population protection goal.

From 70 percent of the country’s 110 million population or about 77 million, the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 said the goal can be increased to at least 80 percent now.

“We will be recalibrating our vaccination program and modify our critical timeline,” NTF chief Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Monday during a press briefing with Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in Pampanga.

He added the recalibrated inoculation drive is also driven by the data on the production of vaccines.

The Philippines has already received a total 77,410,640 doses of the Covid-19 jab, with 46,380,460 administered nationwide.

Of the total administered jabs, 24,579,486 were given as the first dose and 21,800,974 were second doses.

“We have enough supply, with more than 31 million [doses] in our current stockpile,” he said. “The 100 million target this October is still on track.”

Galvez said deliveries this month include about 10 million doses of Pfizer vaccines, 5 million Moderna doses, 10 million Sinovac, and another 5.9 million doses donated by the United States (US) through the COVAX Facility.

“The arrival of US-COVAX vaccines this month is very significant. The COVAX donation has accounted for more than 19,653,730 doses and then we expect to receive 6.7 million more this October,” he said.

The Germany government will likewise send 844,800 doses of AstraZeneca jabs, also via the COVAX Facility, Galvez said.