Only 30% of health workers can get COVID-19 shots with available doses – Duque

MANILA, Philippines — The COVID-19 vaccine doses currently available in the Philippines can only be allotted for 30 percent of the 1.7 million healthcare workers nationwide, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Wednesday during the pre-recorded televised briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to Duque, the country has 900,000 remaining doses of the vaccine, which includes the latest delivery of 400,000 doses of CoronaVac, the Sinovac BioTech vaccine donated by China.

“This is not enough because the total delivery — which is about 1,525,600 of the first group, that’s the total number of vaccines that arrived — is only about 30 percent of our requirement for the 1.7 million healthcare workers,” Duque said.

Duque noted that, since vaccination requires two doses, the government should secure 3.4 million doses for healthcare workers, who are on top of the government’s priority list.

“As of now, the vaccines are really not enough. So the priority listing would really have to be followed to make our vaccination program orderly,” he said.

As of March 23, the Philippines has already vaccinated 508,332 individuals, according to the latest data from the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Task Force Against COVID-19.

At least 98 percent of the available vaccines — or 1,105,500 out of 1,125,600 — have already been distributed to various regions, according to the DOH.

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