The Philippines can now see "the light at the end of the tunnel," President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday as the country's vaccination program expanded to economic frontliners.
In a "symbolic" vaccination program, Health Sec. Francisco Duque III led the inoculation of essential workers including a fast food crew member, delivery riders, a journalist, and a sales clerk -- signaling the start of the larger COVID-19 vaccination program.
"We can now see the light at the end of the tunnel as the vaccine shipments have arrived, have started to arrive in bulks," Duterte said in a taped message.
"To my dear kababayans, let us keep in mind that vaccination is the only way forward for us to overcome this pandemic," he said.
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Economic frontliners, composed of over 30 million people, are fourth in the Philippines' vaccine priority list led by health workers, senior citizens, and persons with commorbidities.
The vaccination of individuals classified as economic frontliners will prioritize those inMetro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Pampanga, Batangas, Cebu, and Davao.
The program comes a day after the country started receiving the first of its expected bulk delivery of vaccines -- 1 million Sinovac jabs. For the month of June, COVID-19 vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr said the country expects to receive some 10 million more shots.
The country aims to achieve "population protection" by November this year with the target of at least 50 million people vaccinated.
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