DOH: Over 284,000 individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19

A total of 284,553 individuals in the Philippines have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of May 1 or two months since the country launched its inoculation program, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said 270,785 of these vaccine recipients are health workers, 3,083 are senior citizens, and 10,685 are persons with comorbidities.

Meanwhile, 1,650,318 individuals have gotten their first dose of either the AstraZeneca or Sinovac vaccine.

Of this number, 278,183 are senior citizens, 275,924 are persons with comorbidities, and 1,718 are essential workers who were vaccinated during a Labor Day ceremony over the weekend. 

“There were 1,094,493 frontline healthcare workers in the Philippines or 70.9% of the more than 1.5 million masterlisted [for] priority group A1 population had been vaccinated as of May 1,” Vergeire added.

The health official clarified that the Philippines has not yet started vaccinating the A4 sector or essential workers and urged medical professionals, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities to contact their local governments for vaccination.

Vergeire also said no fatalities directly linked to COVID-19 vaccines have been recorded in the country so far.

She also reminded vaccine recipients that full protection from COVID-19 will not kick in until two to three weeks after the second dose.

“We still advise our citizens who are vaccinated to comply still with the minimum public health protocols. Tandaan po natin, hindi po assurance na [kapag] kayo ay nabakunahan ay hindi na po kayo magkakasakit (Let’s remember that getting vaccinated does not mean you will no longer get sick),” she said.

The Philippines aims to vaccinate 70 million people this year. The country has so far received over 4 million doses, with an initial batch of 15,000 Sputnik V vaccines set for distribution to five Metro Manila cities. — RSJ, GMA News