President Rodrigo Duterte has approved opening COVID-19 vaccine slots to the general public starting October, his spokesperson said Tuesday as the country rushes inoculations to fight the surge that is driven by the hyper contagious Delta variant.
The approval came as the country expects more vaccines to be available in the last quarter of the year.
"Inaprubahan na po ni Presidente ang pagbabakuna sa general population simula po ng buwan ng Oktubre," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told reporters.
READ:Minors as Young as 12 Could Get COVID Vaccines by Mid-October, Gov't Says
COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines is so far limited to health workers, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, the working population, and the poor. The government is also studying opening COVID-19 vaccine slots to children as young as 12 to expand protection.
As of Sept. 26, Roque said the Philippines has fully vaccinated 20.3 million people against an initial target of 77 million by November this year.
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