Bakunahan III failed to hit 5-M vaccination target, DOH says

The Department of Health said Saturday that the government has vaccinated at least 3.5 million individuals against COVID-19 at the end of the third wave of the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” program that ran from February 10 to 18.

At the Laging Handa briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the number of vaccinated individuals during the mass vaccination drive fell short of the government’s target of five million.

“Bagamat hindi natin na-achieve ‘yung five million na ating target, ating ikinagagalak pa rin natin na mayroon tayong achievement na 3.5 million, nakadagdag sa antas ng pagbabakuna sa ating bansa,” Vergeire said.

(Even though we did not achieve our five million target, we are still glad we have achieved 3.5 million, which boosted the vaccination rate in the entire country.)

The Bayanihan, Bakunahan III which was originally scheduled to run from February 10 to 11 was extended until February 18.

Vergeire cited the challenges why the target was not achieved.

“Unang una, nahati po ang ating healthcare workers between our Bayanihan, Bakunahan and children’s vaccination,” Vergeire said.

(First, our healthcare workers were divided between the Bayanihan, Bakunahan and the children’s vaccination.)

She added that the number of healthcare workers for the mass vaccination drive were also reduced due to other health-related duties and some of them contracted diseases.

Dr. Maria Paz Corrales, medical consultant of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, also cited vaccine hesitancy as one of the factors why the 5-million target for Bayanihan, Bakunahan was not met, according to a report on News Live on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Vergeire said that 62.3 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, representing 69.8% of the 77-million target. —LBG/KG, GMA News