When will PH get enough COVID-19 vaccines? ‘I really don’t know,’ Duterte says

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday admitted that he himself does not know when the Philippines would receive an ample supply COVID-19 vaccines.

“Itong atin atin dito, wala pa tayo nakuha except for yung nakuha natin sa China,” Duterte said in a pre-recorded message.

(What we got so far are those from China.)

The Philippines has also received vaccines from the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility.

(Photo by AFP)

“Mayroon tayong nakuha at may darating pakonti konti. (We are receiving vaccines in trickles.) To our sadness, the stocks that are coming in are barely enough to inoculate the health workers. Sila man talaga ang priority.  Now, when will have that stock sufficient to vaccinate the people? I really do not know. Nobody knows,” Duterte added.

“Do not be afraid, government is working. Government is busy doing everything, not nothing. Government is trying to get the things fixed for all of us,” Duterte said,

In order to achieve herd immunity, the Philippines must vaccinate 70 percent of its population or around 70 million people.

(Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government is targeting to vaccinate 50 million to 70 million individuals this year to give Filipinos a “better Christmas.”  

The country, however, has so far vaccinated only over 1 million individuals.

Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, director of Philippine General Hospital, is the first to receive the China-donated CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine last March 1, 2021.  At right, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., head of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, joins government officials inoculated during simultaneous programs in several hospitals in Metro Manila. (PHOTOS COURTESY OF MANILA PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE AND PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OPERATIONS OFFICE)

Around 162,000 individuals have already receive two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.  

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