By Mark Fetalco
Over ten million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, five months after the country’s inoculation drive started.
This milestone was marked with a ceremonial vaccination in Mandaluyong city this morning (Aug. 5).
Malacaῆang said half of the target population in the National Capital Region (NCR) could be fully immunized after the two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) beginning Friday (Aug. 6).
National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon said this can be achieved through the four million additional vaccine doses to the NCR amid stricter lockdowns.
“Kung sino ang gustong magpabakuna, kung ‘yan ay trabahador o mga kababayan natin na mahihirap, ay dapat bakunahan na,” Dizon said during the Thursday Palace briefing.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairperson Benhur Abalos said there will be express lanes for senior citizens and persons with comorbidities in vaccination sites.
“All you have to do is coordinate with your LGUs [local government units], sabihin mo senior citizen ka, [may] comorbidity ka, talagang uunahin ka nila,” he said.
Delta threat
The government is ramping up vaccination, especially with the detection of 116 new COVID-19 Delta variant cases in the country, where 82% or 95 are local cases.
Of the local cases, 83 are in NCR, three in Calabarzon, four in Central Visayas, two in Davao Region, and one each in Zamboanga peninsula, Cagayan Valley, and Ilocos Region.
All of the newly reported cases have been tagged as recovered. Overall, the Philippines has 331 known cases of the Delta variant.
The DOH earlier said that Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Pasig, San Juan, Valenzuela, and Manila are already affected by the highly transmissible variant. – AG-rir
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