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Galvez sees herd immunity in NCR, nearby provinces by November


Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Tuesday the government expects to achieve its target of herd immunity in the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces by November.

“We can have herd immunity in NCR and six provinces around NCR by November. We’re looking at 180 days,” Galvez said at a Palace press briefing, citing estimates from supply chain experts assisting the country’s mass vaccination program.

Galvez issued the statement a day after he disclosed the list of areas that would be prioritized to receive the doses in light of tight supply of vaccines.

Among the areas to be prioritized for vaccination are the NCR, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon.

“If we can achieve herd immunity by vaccinating up to 70 percent of the residents in these areas, there is a big chance that our economy will recover and we can prevent a surge in cases,” Galvez said at a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte on COVID-19 response on Monday.

15 million doses

He said 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.

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.

More than 1.6 million Filipinos have been vaccinated since the Philippines started its immunization campaign in March, according to government data. -MDM, GMA News

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