MANILA, Philippines — The government’s vaccine chief has recommended areas to be prioritized in the inoculation program as the country anticipates delays in vaccine deliveries due to the surge of COVID-19 infections in India.
The devastating second wave in the South Asian nation, which is home to the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturer, is a blow to global vaccine distribution as the jabs produced by the Serum Institute of India represent the main supplies to the COVAX vaccine sharing initiative.
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To address this, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. suggested that areas with a high number of infections, such as Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces, should be prioritized in receiving limited vaccine doses.
“Considering that we’re going to have a shortfall in our supply, we are recommending that we have prioritization,” Galvez said in a taped speech Monday evening.
“Meaning, we will look into areas with social and economic importance,” he added.
Galvez, who also serves the chief implementor of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, recommended the following priority areas for inoculation:
Luzon
- Metro Manila
- Calabarzon
- Central Luzon
- Baguio City
- Cordillera Administrative Region
- Cagayan Valley
Visayas
- Metro Cebu City
- Bacolod City
- Iloilo City
- Central Visayas
- Western Visayas
- Eastern Visayas
Mindanao
- Davao City
- Cagayan de Oro City
- Zamboanga City
- General Santos City
- Iligan City
- Davao region
- Zamboanga Peninsula
- Northern Mindanao
By prioritizing these areas for the vaccination drive, the government only needs to inoculate 50 to 60 million Filipinos to achieve herd immunity, Galvez said. The government’s initial plan was to vaccinate 70 million people by the end of 2021.
Since the start of the country’s vaccination program in March, over 1.6 million people have received first dose, while fewer than 300,000 are fully vaccinated.
The Philippines is combating a spike in infections that has raised its caseload to more than a million, including over 17,000 fatalities.