A frontliner belonging to the A1 priority group receives a COVID-19 vaccine. (Photo from the City of San Fernando Information Office)
MANILA, Philippines — Over 1 million people in the country are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, government data showed on Thursday.
Data from the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 and the Department of Health showed that as of May 25, a total of 4,495,375 vaccine doses have been administered nationwide.
Of this number, 3,466,314 were given as the first dose, while 1,029,061 were provided as the second shots.
An average of 145,243 vaccine doses was administered in the last seven days, according to the data.
Of the priority populations, a total of 1.3 million doses were given to frontline healthcare workers, 1.1 million doses to senior citizens, 941,091 doses to persons with comorbidity, and 10,695 doses were administered to essential workers as first vaccine shots.
From these figures, there are 581,797 medical workers, 195,952 senior citizens, 250,777 persons with comorbidity, and 535 essential workers who had already received two doses.
The government is aiming to achieve “population protection” against the severe effects of COVID-19 while waiting for more vaccines intended for achieving herd immunity, according to DOH.
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje earlier said this is the reason the government had shifted the vaccination drive’s focus to priority sectors in the so-called NCR Plus 8—which consists of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Pampanga, Batangas, Cebu, and Davao—to prevent severe cases and to revive the country’s economy.