Some 50-M vaccine doses administered; target to jab 50% of PHL population by year-end set

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte talks to the people after holding a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Matina, Davao City on October 11, 2021. TOTO LOZANO/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

 

(Eagle News) – The Philippines has administered close to 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Sunday, Oct. 10, while the numbers are expected to exceed the 50 million mark by Tuesday, Oct. 12.

President Rodrigo Duterte himself announced this milestone in his “Talk to the People” Monday night, Oct. 11, including the 23 million who were already fully vaccinated as of Sunday.

“We have already administered close to 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including 23 million complete doses,” he said.

This means that over 30 percent of the target population nationwide have already been fully vaccinated, according to Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

(File photo) A health worker prepares a dose of the BioNtech Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine during a vaccination for seafarers at a stadium in Manila on July 15, 2021. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

He said that as of Sunday, the total vaccines against COVID already administered nationwide reached 49,673,491 based on data from the National COVID-19 Dashboard.

“Sa bilang na ito, lampas 23 million or 23,186,969 or 30.06% na po ang fully vaccinated sa buong Pilipinas,” Roque said.

Duterte, during his Talk to the People, also said that almost 77 percent of the targeted population in in Metro Manila, or over 7.5 million, are already fully vaccinated.

He also hoped that the country could achieve its goal of hitting 50 percent of the target population by the end of the year.

“The challenge is now to further speed up our vaccination rollout, especially in the provinces, in the key cities and municipalities to achieve our target of at least 50 percent of the country’s target population by the end of the year,” Duterte said.

He said he is “confident” that the country would even surpass this target by December.

(Eagle News Service)