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Philippines eyes meeting 2021 COVID-19 vaccination target this week

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="People exit the site after getting vaccinated at the Ramon Magsaysay Highschool in Manila on Dec. 30, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/01/03/20211230-ramon-magsaysay-vaccination-gc-7.jpg"/><figcaption>People exit the site after getting vaccinated at the Ramon Magsaysay Highschool in Manila on Dec. 30, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — The Philippine government is &quot;confident&quot; that it would achieve in the first week of 2022 its COVID-19 vaccination target for last year, an official said on Monday. </p><p>Authorities had eyed fully inoculating 54 million people by the end of 2021. As of Jan. 2, some 49.8 million of the Philippines&#x27; 109 million people were fully vaccinated, according to data from the health department. </p><p>&quot;Tinutulak natin ngayon at kampante tayo na iyong 54 million maaabot natin ngayong first week of January,&quot; said National Task Force Against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon. </p><p>(We are pushing and we are confident that we will reach the 54 million target this first week of January.)</p><p>&quot;Alam naman natin iyong hirap na dinaanan natin sa iba’t ibang rehiyon, lalo na sa Region 7, sa Region 8 at ibang parte ng Mindanao dahil sa bagyong Odette, so kailangan habulin natin iyan,&quot; he said in a televised public briefing. </p><p>(We know the difficulty that various regions went through, especially Region 7 and 8, and some parts of Mindanao, because of typhoon Odette, so we need to cope with that.)</p><p>Odette struck in mid-December, and was the strongest typhoon to hit the country last year. It left hundreds dead, damaged about half a million homes, and prompted government to declare a <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/27/21/duterte-blames-law-for-delay-in-state-of-calamity">state of calamity</a> over 6 regions. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1881910" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><div style="text-align:center"><em>Video courtesy of PTV</em></div><p>Carlito Galvez, the country&#x27;s vaccination chief, noted on Sunday that wealthy nations cornered the bulk of the limited vaccine supply during the early months of 2021. </p><p>&quot;When we rolled out our National Vaccination Program in March, we could only manage to administer less than 800,000 jabs. Also during that time, we were only receiving less than a million doses monthly,&quot; he said in a statement. <br/> <br/>&quot;But as our country started to get a steady supply of bigger vaccine shipments, our vaccination throughput also exponentially increased. We are now capable of vaccinating 1 to 2 million Filipinos daily, and receiving around 2 million COVID-19 vaccines every day,&quot; continued the official. </p><p>Galvez also noted that Metro Manila has vaccinated 100 percent of its target population. </p><p>Authorities will prioritize administering booster shots for the <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/02/21/philippines-misses-target-vaccination-seniors-comorbidities">elderly and people with comorbidity</a>, as well as ramping up the vaccination of minors, said Dizon. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/03/22/israel-to-offer-fourth-covid-vaccine-shot-to-over-60s-medical-staff">Israel to offer fourth COVID vaccine shot to over 60s, medical staff</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/03/22/jj-covid-booster-highly-effective-against-severe-omicron-study">J&amp;J Covid booster highly effective against severe omicron: study</a></li></ul><p>&quot;Hopefully pati iyong 5 to 11 [years old], pagkakuha natin ng supply natin galing sa Pfizer ngayong buwan ng January, e masimulan na rin natin,&quot; he said. &quot;Iyan ang pina-follow up namin ngayon sa ating mga supplier.&quot; </p><p>(Hopefully, we can also start with the 5 to 11-year-olds once we get the vaccine supply from Pfizer this January. That&#x27;s what we are following up with our suppliers.) </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/12/23/21/ph-fda-approves-use-of-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-for-children-aged-5-11">PH FDA approves use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11</a></li></ul>

The Philippine government is confident it will achieve in the first week of 2022 its COVID-19 vaccination target for last year.