Sinovac – COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in PH reach 922,898

MANILA (UPDATE) — The Philippine government on Wednesday announced that it has been able to administer a total of 922,898 COVID-19 vaccine doses.

“Of the total allocated doses, 872,21 (63.74%) have been administered for the first dose, while 50,685 (3.70%) have been administered for the second dose,” the Department of Health said.

The data, as of April 6, showed that of the 2.5 million vaccines in the country, 77% or 1,936,600 were already distributed. These likely include 2nd dose allotment for Sinovac vaccines.

Majority of the doses distributed (735,970) went to the National Capital Region (NCR).

Region 4A, Region 7, and Region 3, all logging high numbers of COVID cases along with Metro Manila, received more than 100,000 doses each.

JUST IN: DOH reported that more than 920,000 COVID-19 vaccines have already been administered in the country. @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/4NRURDNQvb

— Kristine Sabillo 🇵🇭 (@kristinesabillo) April 7, 2021

There are currently 2,670 vaccination sites in the country.

While the number of vaccination sites went up by 74 from last week, the average number of people vaccinated daily for this week went down. From an average of 32,940 people vaccinated daily in late March, it decreased to just 22,932 last week.

So far, the government has prioritized the vaccination of healthcare workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities.

“With the country experiencing a surge in the number of cases, the government continues to secure and distribute more doses, expedite vaccination, and expand coverage to protect more Filipinos,” the DOH said.

The latest vaccination report came out just as the Food and Drug Administration allowed the use of Sinovac’s product for senior citizens despite its initial decision to have it administered only to those aged 18 to 59.

The change in the decision came as the country runs out of AstraZeneca vaccines, which is the only vaccine in the Philippines initially allowed for the elderly.

The FDA said the inclusion of senior citizens in the Sinovac EUA is due to the increasing number of cases and the limited amount of vaccines in the country.

The total number of cases in the Philippines has already reached more than 800,000 with the NCR and its nearby provinces bearing the bulk of infections.

The expected additional shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX Facility was further delayed due to the global supply shortage.

The DOH reminded the public that vaccination against COVID-19 is free.

It also encouraged senior citizens and those with comorbidities to receive the vaccine, after they have been allowed to be inoculated alongside health workers to expedite the vaccine rollout. Studies have shown that the mentioned priority sectors are more at risk for severe illness and death due to COVID-19.

The government aims to inoculate up to 70 million people this year to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus.

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