MANILA – The government still needs to fully inoculate 12 million individuals against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) to achieve the yearend target for its vaccination drive, a health official said on Wednesday.
“Our target is to reach 54 million fully vaccinated individuals. We have 42 million fully vaccinated so far, so we still have to fully vaccinate 12 million [people],” Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said during a televised public briefing.
The second round of the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” immunization program began on Wednesday and will conclude on Friday.
Due to Typhoon Odette, however, the government suspended the vaccination drive in the Visayas, Mindanao, Mimaropa, and the Bicol Region to December 20 until 22.
“The primary vaccination remains very important because that is the first battleground and it is our first layer of protection,” Cabotaje said.
The government plans to vaccinate seven million individuals during the second round of national vaccination, she added.
Meanwhile, the government’s goal in the National Capital Region is to administer as many booster shots as possible.
Based on the guidelines, booster shots can be administered six months after the second dose of the primary series of Covid-19 vaccines and three months after the single-dose Janssen.
Cabotaje assured the public that the administration is certain that it would meet its goal of vaccinating seven million people.
“We have enough vaccines and we will have enough for our booster shots. For shelf life, be rest assured all our vaccines are safe, effective, and monitored by the Food and Drug Administration,” she said.
The government targets to fully inoculate 77 million people by March 2022.
