Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the vaccination of 12.7 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 could be completed in the first quarter of next year.
“Inoculating 100 percent of the 12.7 million minors could be accomplished in January or first quarter of 2022,” he said.
Duque said the government is eyeing to vaccinate 80 percent of the targeted population of minors by the end of the year.
The vaccination of all minors 12 to 17 years old will begin on Nov. 3 in Metro Manila while the nationwide implementation will be on Nov. 5.
A total of 23,727 minors with comorbidities have already been vaccinated. Non-immunocompromised minors will be vaccinated at regular vaccination sites.
For his part, National Task Force Against COVID-19 adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa said the government aims to fully inoculate 50 million individuals against COVID-19 by the end of the year as more vaccine doses arrive in the country.
“We have administered 58 million doses so far and I think more than half of that number are those fully vaccinated from COVID-19. Our vaccination rate continues to
Gov’t… increase. We are already at 32 percent, so hopefully, we will fully vaccinate at least 50 percent by the end of December,” Herbosa said.
The 50 percent target, according to the NTF, represents the "low" threshold, but the "high target" remains at 70 percent.
In other developments:
• A House leader on Saturday suggested the mass hiring of nurses and medical technologists to ramp up the country’s vaccination drive. “It is crucial for us to accelerate our national vaccination rate to ensure herd immunity before the end of year or even earlier. We can even hit two birds with one stone by employing qualified health professionals. Such an act will hit both our public health and unemployment concerns," Deputy Majority Leader and Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles. “We are over the issue of low vaccine supply and as such, we need to do everything to speed up our economic recovery. I believe we are on the right track and as children will soon be fully protected, we are not too far from returning to face-to-face classes and the new normal,” he added.
• The Cebu Pacific Air attained a 100 percent vaccination rate for its active personnel in its own vaccination program. “We are very pleased to share this news with everyone as we prepare to ramp-up our domestic network to cater to the pent-up travel demand. CEB continues to boost its safety protocols and we know having a fully vaccinated crew will strengthen the trust and confidence of the public in air travel,” said Felix Lopez, CEB Vice President for People Department. CEB’s entire workforce is now 98 percent fully vaccinated.
