Over 2M Filipinos have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine — NTF

The San Juan City government started the vaccination of the A5 category, or those belonging to the poor and indigent communities. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines — Over two million Filipinos have so far received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, making them fully vaccinated against the severe respiratory illness.

In an update by the National Task Force against COVID-19 on Monday, a total of 2,153,943 individuals have completed the required two doses of the vaccine.

Of the number, over one million are health care workers or those classified under the A1 priority group of the government’s vaccination program, while more than 550,000 are senior citizens.

Over 524,000 persons with comorbidities and 8,000 economic frontliners have also received their second dose.

So far, the Philippines has administered a total of 8.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with 6 million individuals receiving their first dose.

Over 67,000 individuals from the indigent population have so far received a first dose of the vaccine.

“The government is urging eligible populations belonging to priority groups A1 to A5 to register with their local government units, get vaccinated, and complete the required number of doses as scheduled,” the NTF said in a statement.

“Regardless of vaccination status, everyone is urged to continue practicing the minimum public health standards as you may still get infected with COVID-19 and infect other people,” it added.

The Philippine government has inked a deal for 40 million doses of US-made Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the bulk of which are expected to be delivered in August.

The Philippines aims to vaccinate about 70 million Filipinos in order to achieve herd immunity.

EDV