There are close to 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines nationwide injected, according to Department of Health (DOH) data.
According to the DOH, 9.9 million doses have been injected as of Saturday.
More than 7.4 million people have received their first dose, while almost 2.5 million have been fully vaccinated or have already had 2 doses.
“[Sa] A1 almost 100 percent na ang nabakunahan at 1.6 million, ang masterlist natin, 1.7 million. A2 nabakunahan na ng 2.3 million, malayo pa sa masterlist na 8 million… kaya mayroon tayong tutok A2 strategy dahil sila ang most vulnerable population aside from A3,” said Dr. Napoleon Arevalo, director of the DOH field implementation and coordination team in Luzon.
Apart from that, A4 or essential workers and A5 or poor are also vaccinated.
The government targets to vaccinate 58 million Filipinos before the end of the year.
DOH: 9.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered
Meanwhile, the government is closely monitoring the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, first detected in India, and another new variant Delta Plus.
There are already 200 cases of Delta Plus in 11 countries, but none have been recorded in the Philippines, while the number of Delta variants in the country has reached 17.
“Delta variant is a version of the SARS-COV 2 virus that is more transmissible. The Delta Plus is more transmissible, and it also shows evidence of vaccine evasion. It is resistant to some vaccines. Vaccines are less effective than it is,” explained Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, a molecular biologist who is a member of the OCTA Research Group.
Although few studies on the efficacy of vaccines against the Delta variant, Philippine Red Cross consultant Dr. Michael Tee said that any brand of COVID-19 vaccine can still protect against the disease.
“Kahit may mga variants tayong nadidiscover, nakikita natin na epektibo pa rin ang mga bakunang ginawa natin. ‘Pag may variants na papasok, ang bakuna ay pwede naming i-tweak. Ibig sabihin, puwedeng i-modify ng manufacturers para lalo pang magbigay ng sapat na proteksyon sa mga kababayan,” said Tee.
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