Inoculation of 70 M Filipinos on target

Achieving herd immunity this year feasible – Palace

- GENALYN KABILING and ROY C. MABASA

The government is not backing down from its goal to vaccinate 70 million Filipinos this year in a bid to attain herd immunity against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque expressed confidence that the vaccination program remains on track as more vaccine supplies are expected to arrive in the coming months.

“Huwag kayong matakot, malalampasan din natin ang pandemyang ito (Do not be afraid. we can overcome the pandemic),” Roque said during televised press briefing Thursday, April 29.

“Malapit na 'yan dahil sabi nga ni Secretary (Carlito) Galvez na kahit anong mangyari ay kampante pa rin tayo na mababakunahan ang 50 to 70 million itong taon na ito (That will happen soon because Secretary Galvez said that regardless of what happens, we are confident we can vaccinate 50 to 70 million people this year),” he added.

The government aims to secure 140 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to inoculate 70 million Filipino adults to achieve herd immunity this year.

So far, the country has received 4 million doses of vaccines, including 500,000 Sinovac shots purchased from China that arrived Wednesday. More than 1.5 million Filipinos have received their first coronavirus shots since the immunization drive began last month.

Under the government's vaccine delivery schedule, Galvez said the country can expect the arrival of around 4 million vaccine doses next month.

The forthcoming supply includes the first 15,000 Sputnik V vaccines which are expected to be delivered on May 1. The delivery of the Russian-made vaccines was supposed to arrive last Wednesday but was pushed back due to logistical challenges.