January 07, 2022
HEALTHCARE workers administering the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines have not been spared from the ongoing surge in cases in the country.
In a televised public briefing, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje bared that many healthcare workers deployed in vaccination sites have been infected.
“Our healthcare workers have also been affected in this surge in cases. Temporarily, many are unable to vaccinate,” said Cabotaje.
She said such a predicament has caused a slowdown in the administration of Covid-19 vaccines.
“With cases surging, we are seeing a slowdown in our vaccination drive,” said the health official.
Cabotaje said this is aside from the stoppage in vaccination activities in areas hit by Typhoon Odette.
“We were interrupted by Typhoon Odette in several areas, so we cannot totally deploy all vaccines,” she said.
She said this is because they continue to encounter problems in terms of vaccine storage facilities.
“We are still looking for ways on how we can bring the vaccines closer to our vaccination sites,” said Cabotaje.
Data showed that 210 million vaccine doses have already arrived in the country since 2021.
Of the total doses that arrived, Cabotaje said they have already deployed a total of 146 million doses.
As of January 6, the DOH said over 111 million doses have been administered nationwide. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)