By Andreah Dianne Cartagena 

PHOTO: ABS-CBN News

President Rodrigo Duterte assured that the government’s vaccination drive was doing well despite vaccine delivery delays.

In a recorded meeting aired on Saturday, September 11, Duterte stressed, "we are doing well with our vaccination, but the fact is that there is a shortfall. Hindi natin mabigyan lahat sabay-sabay kasi kulang."

Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said that approximately 38 million doses were administered and more than 16 million people were fully vaccinated.

According to Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez, to achieve the vaccination of 100 million Filipinos by the end of the year, nine million doses were needed to be administered every week until December.

“May pera tayo,” Duterte said. “Pero kulang pa rin talaga worldwide (the vaccine) until now.”

By the first week of September, Dominguez said that there were only 3.5 million doses delivered.

“We have to catch up for the coming weeks. We want to tell our citizens that as soon as the vaccines arrive, they are actually deployed, and people are inoculated.” Dominguez said.

Galvez said that they are expecting 61 million vaccine doses in September or October and once these doses are delivered it is expected to vaccinate the general population.

Meanwhile, it was reported that Philippines had the highest daily COVID-19 cases on the same day since the start of the pandemic with 26, 303 new cases.


Report sources: ABS-CBN News, Philippine Star