98 percent of vaccines delivered to PHL already distributed nationwide – Vergeire
(Eagle News) – The Department of Health (DOH) has assured the public that there is no spoilage of COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines as it reported a total of at least 336,656 vaccinated across the country.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that around 1.1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines already in the country have already been distributed. This is already 98 percent of the total 1,125,600 vaccines doses already delivered in the country. These vaccines are from Sinovac and AstraZeneca.
Vergeire said that these numbers were as of 6 p.m., Saturday, March 20, reported from 1,623 vaccination sites that have already been set up.
“Wala pa tayong nakikita or nare-receive na report that there were spoilages para dito sa mga bakunang meron tayo,” Vergeire said in a press briefing on Monday, March 22.
She said that they will give a more comprehensive report on the vaccination on Wednesday, March 25.
-No reason to stop vaccination, says DOH-
The DOH official also stressed the importance of continuing the vaccination at full speed
That will give us a weapon against the rise in cases, she said.
Vergeire cited the case of Israel which had already achieved herd immunity.
“Take Israel for example, when they did their vaccination even at the height of the surge in their area, bumaba po ang namamatay at may kaso. And that is a good example,” she said.
Vergeire dismissed suggestions to stop the vaccination amid the rise in cases.
“Lahat na po ng mga eksperto sa buong mundo at ang WHO (World Health Organizations) ay nagsasabing tuloy ang bakuna,” she noted. “Kailangan po tuluy-tuloy ang pagbabakuna. Wala pong ititigil sa ginagawa natin ngayon.”
She said that the COVID-19 pandemic can only be beaten if the various populations have been vaccinated.
-More vaccine deliveries –
Malacanang has assured that close to a million AstraZeneca vaccines will be delivered to the country by the COVAX Facility by the end of March or early April.
Another 1.4 million Sinovac doses are also forthcoming by March or April.
President Rodrigo Duterte has already approved the DOH recommendation to use the AstraZeneca vaccines currently in the country as first doses to be given to the medical frontliners and other priority sector such as the vulnerable and the elderly.
The Chinese government delivered some 600,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines on Feb. 28. This was followed by AstraZeneca vaccines in two shipments: 487,200 doses delivered on March 4, and 38,400 doses delivered on March 7.
(Eagle News)
