Current vaccine supply only 30% of requirement for healthcare workers

The Philippines’ current supply of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines make up only 30 percent of the required doses for 1.7 million healthcare workers, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said Wednesday.

Frontline workers in health facilities both national and local, private and public, health professionals and non-professionals like students, nursing aides, janitors, barangay health workers are on top of the priority groups for vaccination against COVID-19, followed by senior citizens and other sectors.

“’Yung total na dumating is only about 30 percent of our requirement for the 1.7 million healthcare workers,” Duque said in his report to President Rodrigo Duterte.

(The total number of delivered doses that arrived is only about 30 percent of our requirement for the 1.7 million healthcare workers.)

According to the Health Secretary, the total number of doses delivered to the country has reached 1,525,600. However, healthcare workers needed around 3.4 million doses.

Duque said there were around 900,000 doses left, including the 400,000 doses of Sinovac's vaccine that arrived on Wednesday.

“So kulang na kulang talagang yung bakuna sa ngayon Mr. President. So kailangan po talagang sundin yung atin pong priority listing na inyo pong binasa para maging maayos po,” he said.

(Our vaccine supply is currently insufficient, Mr. President. So we need to follow the priority listing that you read earlier.)

DOH data show that a total of 508,332 people have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of March 23, making up 62 percent of the doses allocated for the first jab.

Despite not being part of the priority list, some individuals have received the COVID-19 vaccine that the health department will investigate the vaccination of non-medical frontliners.

Earlier, at least five mayors were given show-cause orders for getting COVID-19 vaccines ahead of those on the priority list.

The World Health Organization has warned the Philippines that it could lose its supply of vaccines from the COVAX Facility if the priority list is not followed. -- BAP, GMA News