MANILA, Philippines — The National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF) on Friday appealed for understanding and patience amid the shortage of COVID- 19 vaccine doses that it could not always meet local chief executives’ requests for more COVID-19 vaccine doses given the shortage in supply.
While he expressed elation that more people are now willing to receive the vaccine, NTF deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon said the country’s current supply still could not meet this demand.
“Alam niyo po, ang totoo po ngayon, hirap pa rin tayo sa supply. Pero ang kinagandahan, marami na po sa ating mga kababayan ang gusto nang makatanggap ng kanilang bakuna,” Dizon said in a televised briefing.
(The truth right now is we are still struggling with the supply. But the good thing is that many of our countrymen are now willing to be vaccinated.)
“Kaya nga po marami sa ating local chief executives, marami sa ating mga gobernador ay humihingi na ng napakaraming bakuna. At humihingi po tayo ng pasensya sa ating mga mayors, governor na dahil nga po sa limitadong supply, e hindi pa tayo makapagbigay ng maraming bakuna,” he added.
(That’s why many of our local chief executives, governors are asking for more vaccines. But we are appealing for understandings and patience from the mayors and governors because we cannot give them more doses due to limited supply.)
Mass COVID-19 vaccination at the Makati Coliseum (Image from Facebook / MyMakati)
Several mayors have sought for more COVID-19 vaccine doses following an increase in cases outside Metro Manila.
While the national government distributes vaccines across the country, priority is given to the so-called NCR Plus 8 area – Metro Manila, Cavite, Pampanga, Batangas, Rizal, Bulacan, and the metropolitan cities of Cebu and Davao.
Due to the surge in other areas, the government included cities of Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan De Oro, Baguio, Zamboanga, Dumaguete, Tuguegarao, General Santos, Naga and Legazpi in the priority for vaccine distribution