Galvez: Philippines needs 15 million COVID-19 vaccine doses a month to get herd immunity

The country will need 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines per month to inoculate 70 percent of the population and achieve herd immunity before the end of the year, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Monday.

During the Cabinet briefing on COVID-19 efforts, Galvez discussed how the government would administer vaccines amid criticisms that the Philippines was poised to fail in its bid for herd immunity.

He said simulation conducted with Jollibee Corp. showed that the country would need to give three million jabs a week.

To do so, Galvez said the country would need 15 million doses per month.

He said that 25,000 to 50,000 vaccinators would be needed to help administer the drugs against COVID-19.

Five thousand vaccination sites must also administer 100 COVID-19 jabs per day, Galvez said.

The government has so far deployed 3,745,120 out of 4,040,600 (92.68%)  vaccine doses in several vaccination sites in the country.

However, Galvez said 1,658,539 Filipinos were already inoculated against COVID-19, two months since the nationwide immunization program began in March. —NB, GMA News