Figures from the National Vaccination Operations Center as of 6 a.m. of December 2 show that the government vaccinated a total of 7.63 million people during the 3-day National Vaccination Days.
While this is short of the original target which was to inoculate 15 million people during the 3-day campaign, which had been lowered to 9 million, it is still an impressive feat of vaccination that deserves to be lauded.
Negros Occidental and Bacolod City did very well when it came to their respective vaccination targets. The province topped the 3-day vaccination drive in Western Visayas, vaccinating 213,291 individuals which easily surpassed the target of 150,000 persons set by the Department of Health. Bacolod City also surpassed the DOH target, accomplishing a 106.92 percent record over the 3-day vaccination period.
The aggressive vaccination effort over those 3 days brings to 54 million the total number of eligible Filipinos nationwide who have received at least one shot of the vaccine.
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, chief of the NVOC, said that after the program, the government will revert to a target to 1 million to 2 million doses administered daily. While the initial National Vaccination Days have ended, the vaccine czar reminded LGUs to sustain their vaccination output as the nation marches towards herd immunity and prepares for whatever challenges the incoming Omicron variant may bring.
The success of the recently concluded National Vaccination Days, especially in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, proves that as long as the supply of vaccines is assured and the entire government apparatus is on board, the goal of herd immunity is achievable. Hopefully the country can harness this momentum and accelerate the vaccination effort in order to protect as many Filipinos from the coronavirus and its variants.
The job is not yet done but those three days have demonstrated that the Filipino nation is capable. Seeing what we have achieved gives us hope that we can achieve herd immunity soon, and it also gives us the confidence that even if the Omicron variant should require another round of booster shots, we can roll out the solution as quickly and efficiently as possible.*
