(REUTERS)
MANILA, Philippines — Over 15.2 million individuals in the Philippines have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 , the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) told senators Wednesday.
As of Tuesday, Sept. 7, a total of 36.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered under the government’s vaccination program, NEDA Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said in his presentation to the Senate finance committee, citing figures from the Department of Health.
20.9 million individuals have received their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.
NEDA’s presentation before the Senate finance committee on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. Screengrab from Senate Youtube livestream
The finance panel is currently being briefed by the Development Budget Coordination Committee to kick off the upper chamber’s deliberations on the proposed 2022 budget.
So far, a total of 52.8 million doses of anti-COVID jabs have been delivered to the country this year, Chua also told senators.
These doses were either procured by the Philippine government, donated by other countries, or given through the COVAX facility, according to the NEDA chief.
The COVAX facility — co-led by the Gavi vaccine alliance, the World Health Organization, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations — is a global platform aiming to provide equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, especially for low and middle-income countries.