Palace: Nearly 7.5M individuals vaccinated during 2nd round of vax drive

The government of Olongapo City continues to roll out of COVID-19 vaccination as it inches closer to achieving herd immunity against the viral disease. (FILE) Photo courtesy of Olongapo City Information Center

MANILA, Philippines — Almost 7.5 million individuals were inoculated during the second round of the government’s COVID-19 national vaccination drive held on Dec. 15 until Dec. 23, Malacañang announced Monday.

Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said a total of 7,497,902 COVID-19 doses were administered during the drive.

This exceeded the initial target of 7.3 million vaccinations, he said.

Nograles said Calabarzon registered the highest number of vaccinations with over 1.2 million doses administered, followed by Central Luzon with 919,822 doses and the Western Visayas with 658,805 doses.

Meanwhile, Ilocos Region recorded the highest percentage of jabs administered compared to its target with 561,858 vaccinations, translating to 277.84% of its 202,224 jabs target.

Cagayan Valley followed, Nograles said, achieving 232.57% of their target, while Northern Mindanao accomplished 173.27% of its target.

“We thank our kababayans for their cooperation and for the steps they have taken to protect themselves, their families, and their communities,” Nograles said in a statement.

“We likewise commend our medical frontliners, vaccinators, and volunteers for their sacrifice, dedication, and service to the country,” he added.

For his part, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. assured that vaccine supplies are sufficient to achieve the government’s target to fully vaccinate 77 million Filipinos by the first quarter of 2022.

Galvez added that the government’s priority is still to vaccinate the unvaccinated, including the pediatric population.

JPV