By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The third run of the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan,” a massive government COVID-19 vaccination drive, is set for February 10 and 11, the Department of Health (DOH) announced Friday (Feb. 4).
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said the staging of this drive seeks to increase the vaccination coverage in areas where the inoculation rate is low, especially among senior citizens.
“It should be nationwide but we will prioritize the areas that need an additional boost to increase their vaccination coverage,” she said in a Laging Handa briefing.
“We are doing it on February 10 and 11 nationwide to encourage those who have yet to receive their first dose as well as boosters. It’s important to ramp up our vaccination for A2 and A3 priority groups,” she added.
Since the rollout last year, Cabotaje said only 60% to 70% of senior citizens have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The first three-day massive vaccination drive from November 29 to December 3 last year was hailed as a success, wherein about 9.9 million people were inoculated.
More than 7.4 million doses, meanwhile, were administered during its second run from December 15 to 17 despite the challenges posed by the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
Nationwide, some 59,389,080 people have already completed their vaccine doses, while over 60 million are waiting for their second shots. A total of 7,704,701 have also received their booster shots as of February 2. (PNA) -ag
