Consul General Edgar Barrairo Badajos

Economy sank deeper in 2020 than initial estimates — PSA

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The economic fallout in 2020 resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic is worse than initially reported, revised estimates by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed Thursday.

Data released by the PSA showed the country’s economy as measured by gross domestic product (GDP)—the summation of all the goods and services produced by a country in a specified period—shrank by 9.6% last year, a deeper contraction than the -9.5% reported in January.

In peso terms using current prices, the Philippines’ GDP amounted to P17.9 trillion, lower than the P19.51 trillion in 2019.

This translates to an economic loss of P1.58 trillion last year due to mobility restrictions and business activity disruptions amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

The PSA, meanwhile, maintained the -8.3% GDP for the fourth quarter of 2020.

“These are due to the latest full year data. We always update as needed if new data are available,” Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua told reporters in a Viber group message.

The PSA explained that revisions on the estimates are based on the updated data submissions by the data source agencies.

“The PSA revises the GDP estimates based on an approved revision policy (PSA Board Resolution No. 1, Series of 2017-053) which is consistent with international standard practices on national accounts revisions,” it said.

The revised GDP estimates came almost a month before the Statistics agency is scheduled to announce the first quarter 2021 economic output on May 11.

The revised -9.6% GDP in 2020 is still the economy’s worst performance on record since the end of World War II.

Chua earlier blamed the 2020’s economic contraction to COVID-19, which “disrupt-

Acting Socioeconomic Planning

Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua

ed our growth momentum and development trajectory.”

The Philippines first implemented the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in March 2020, which has been gradually eased in June all throughout the first two months of 2021.

New COVID-19 cases saw a dramatic increase, hitting all-time highs in March. This prompted the government to place Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal under enhanced community quarantine from March 29 to April 11.

The reimposition of the strictest quarantine classification in the country’s economic center further dims hopes of a faster recovery from the pandemic-induced recession experienced last year.

The two-week ECQ in the NCR Plus bubble is expected to shave off P30 billion or P2.1 billion a day in household incomes, and result in 252,000 job losses, and 102,000 more poor individuals for the entire duration of the strict lockdown.

The National Economic and Development Authority earlier admitted that the country will continue to see a negative GDP in the first quarter of 2021.

Asked if the revisions will affect the economic managers' target of 6.5% to 7.5% growth this year, Chua reiterated that it is too early as state economists and statisticians look at ongoing trends and not a single month's data. (MNS)

Philippine manufacturing posts modest growth in March

MANILA, Apr 5 (Mabuhay) — The Philippine manufacturing sector continued to expand in March, albeit at a slower pace than the previous month, according to results of the monthly survey conducted by IHS Markit. The IHS Markit Philippines Manufacturing PMI fell to 52.2 in March from 52.5 in February. The PMI is a composite indicator of the manufacturing sector's performance, with 50.0 as the threshold. A reading above 50 indicates growth while below 50 is a contraction. Goods producers reported a marginal rise in new order volumes for the month, while foreign client demand was subdued as restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic persisted in overseas markets. IHS said an overall rise in new work led local firms to increase their output at an accelerated pace, while some noted efforts to stockpile finished goods amid expectations of greater demand in the coming months. "Nevertheless, a strong first quarter places the sector in a good stead for a return to industrial production growth in 2021, with our current forecast expecting a 7.1% expansion," said Patel. (MNS) Indoor restaurants may remain closed — DTI chief

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) might be sensitive in reopening indoor economic activities, including indoor dine-in services, due to new variants of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the country, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said on Thursday.

“So if we really reopen, the indoor restaurants --unless they can really do the engineering controls-- they might be kept closed and only the outdoor activities will only be allowed,” Lopez said in a television interview.

From nearly 2,000 daily cases at the start of the year, Covid-19 cases in the country in the past days even breached the 15,000-mark.

The high number of Covid-19 cases made the IATF to place National Capital Region and provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from March 29 to April 11.

“To us, this is already the alltime big-time lockdown,” Lopez said. “We also say that we cannot continue in ECQ for a long time. What we are looking at is a gradual movement, the reopening to (the) next level of sectors.”

He added the current situation has hit hard entrepreneurs in tourism and food establishments, particularly indoor dine-in restaurants.

“With the new restrictions, there are many businesses that will remain closed for the meantime, or will really slow down their operations,” he said.

Citing a survey of DTI, Lopez said closed businesses at the onset of the pandemic reached 38 percent

“Over time when we were reopening, it went down to 6 percent then to 4.6 percent recently. Others have completely shut down or shifted to other business,” he added.

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boosting Philippine business, as well as promoting our culture and tourism,” Badajos continued, adding, “I am definitely eager to begin my work and meeting up with local movers and shakers, government officials and our kababayan community.”

With CoViD-19 transmission largely under control in Los Angeles County and with CA Governor Gavin Christopher Newsom targeting mid-2021 to open up the State’s economy (given certain epidemiological metrics are met), the Consul General is hopeful that LA PCG may begin exploring activities beyond only virtual platforms.

Prior to his arrival in L.A., ConGen Badajos served at the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah from February 2018 to April 2021. A seasoned Filipino Diplomat, the Bangued, Abra native joined the Philippine Foreign Service in January 1997 and has served in various capacities at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, including most recently as Director, Political-Security Division, Office of ASEAN Affairs (2015-2018).

Earlier, he was assigned to the Office of Legal Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs and the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs. His previous foreign assignments include the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto as Vice Consul (2000-2003), the Philippine Consulate General in New York as Vice Consul then Consul (20032007), and the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, as Minister and Consul General and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific or UNESCAP (20092015).

A University of the Philippines-educated lawyer by profession (UP College of Law, LLB 1991), the Consul General has also written a “Philippine Passport Guidebook” in 1998 together with a fellow Filipino Foreign Service Officer.

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spoken out along with local government officials to help try and bring their communities together so that nobody has to endure or tolerate any type of hate period. Although COFACC, comprising of various Filipino American Chambers Of Commerce across the nation, they are also unified in their stance to denounce Asian Hate. Whether people have a business or not or are entrepreneurs by profession, we at COFACC stand in unity with our Asian brothers and sisters to ensure that Asian Hate will not be tolerated and any hate amongst all ethnicities is unacceptable.”

“We look forward to the day where nobody has to live in fear of another human being. We strive as an organization to build bridges of connection and trust with open policies of acceptance regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, economic background, and political affiliation. COFACC believes in equal opportunity, equal rights, and most of all, equality of love and unity across all races as we are all equal in God’s eyes.”

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we are one with you in prayer for a better and brighter 2021.

“For all of our alumni watching, please do continue to pray for and support your alma mater, as this pandemic has been a tremendous challenge for the education sector. As of the 4th quarter of 2020, there were already more than 800 private schools in the country that had closed or stopped operation this school year due to the pandemic; many of which will no longer reopen. We are blessed to have established some form of stability, even in these difficult times.

“Thank you once again to the PWUAA of Southern California for this invitation. May you all continue to stay safe and healthy, and I hope to meet you all in person when the situation is better! Thank you and God bless.”

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general medical, surgical or specialty hospitals; some two million at outpatient care centers and about 1.8 million worked at nursing care facilities.

Health Care Occupations

There were 9.8 million workers employed as health care technicians and practitioners, including physicians, surgeons, and registered nurses. About two-thirds were non-Hispanic White.

Another 5.3 million worked as nursing assistants, home health and personal care aides and in other health care support occupations. One-quarter of health care support workers were Black.

Women accounted for three-quarters of full-time, year-round health care workers.

Women working as registered nurses, the most common health care occupation for women, had median annual earnings of $68,509.

In contrast, women working as nursing assistants, the most common health care support occupation, earned $28,686.

Among full-time, year-round health care workers, more than half of paramedics, surgeons, and other physicians were men. Median earnings for men in selected health care occupations ranged from under $30,000 for home health aides to over $250,000 for emergency medicine physicians.

Health Care Workers by State

States with over 500,000 health care practitioners and technicians include California, Florida, New York, and Texas. However, the overall distribution of health care related workers varied by state.

For example, there were about six health care practitioners and technicians per 100 civilian-employed workers ages 16 and over in the United States.

While about 58,000 workers in West Virginia were health care practitioners and technicians, they accounted for nearly 8 out of 100 of the state’s workers ages 16 and over.

In the District of Columbia, 4 out 100 workers, or just over 17,000, worked as health care practitioners.

The number and distribution of health care support workers also varies across the United States.

California had 718,011 health care support workers — the largest number of any state — accounting for about 4 out of 100 workers in the state.

In contrast, nearly 5 out 100 workers (454,514) in New York had health care support jobs. Nearly 2 out 100 workers (just over 23,000) in Puerto Rico worked in a health care support occupation.

We used statistics from the 2019 American Community Survey to profile health care workers at the national and state level.

Data.census.gov provides selected labor force statistics. ACS estimates are based on data from a sample of housing units and people. Therefore, respondents may or may not live and work in the same geographic location as their employer.

Additional information on industry and occupational classifications is available from the Industry and Occupation Statistics Branch.

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I promise you, O blessed Jude to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor you as my special and powerful patron and to do all in my power to encourage PRAYERS PRAYER TO SAINT THERESE O Glorious St. Therese, whom Almighty God has raised up to aid and inspire the human family, I implore your Miraculous Intercession. You are so powerful in obtaining every need of body and spirit from the Heart of God. Holy Mother Church proclaims you ‘Prodigy of Miracles... the Greatest Saint of Modern Times.’ Now I fervently beseech you to answer my petition (mention here) and to carry out your promises of spending Heaven doing good on earth...of letting fall from Heaven a Shower of Roses. Little Flower, give me your childlike faith, to see the Face of God in the people and experiences of my life, and to love God with full confidence. 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Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered your beloved Master into the hands of the enemies has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases and of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so needy; make use, I implore you of that particular privilege accorded to you to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings particularly (here mention your petition) and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity. I promise you, O blessed Jude to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor you as my special and powerful patron and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to you. Amen. THANK YOU - ABA PRAYER TO SAINT THERESE O Glorious St. Therese, whom Almighty God has raised up to aid and inspire the human family, I implore your Miraculous Intercession. You are so powerful in obtaining every need of body and spirit from the Heart of God. Holy Mother Church proclaims you ‘Prodigy of PRAYERS JOB OPPORTUNITIES? SERVICES? RENTAL SPACES? NEW OR PRE-OWNED CARS? BALITA ADS GET RESULTS PRAYER TO SAINT JUDE Most Holy Apostle St. Jude Thaddeus, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered your beloved Master into the hands of the enemies has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases and of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so needy; make use, I implore you of that particular privilege accorded to you to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings particularly (here mention your petition) and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity. I promise you, O blessed Jude to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor you as my special and powerful patron and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to you. Amen. THANK YOU - ARDY PRAYERS O Glorious St. Therese, whom Almighty God has raised up to aid and inspire the human family, I implore your Miraculous Intercession. You are so powerful in obtaining every need of body and spirit from the Heart of God. Holy Mother Church proclaims you ‘Prodigy of Miracles... the Greatest Saint of Modern Times.’ Now I fervently beseech you to answer my petition (mention here) and to carry out your promises of spending Heaven doing good on earth...of letting fall from Heaven a Shower of Roses. Little Flower, give me your childlike faith, to see the Face of God in the people and experiences of my life, and to love God with full confidence. St. Therese, my Carmelite Sister, I will fulfill your plea ‘to be made known everywhere’ and I will continue to lead others to Jesus through you. Amen PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT Holy Spirit Thou who make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideal, You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank You for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from You no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with You and my loved ones in Your perpetual glory. Amen. (A person must pray this for three consecutive days without stating his wish. After the 3rd day the wish will be granted, no matter how difficult it may be. 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Sinovac data show no major side effects on elderly — DOST exec

MANILA (Mabuhay) — A Department of Science and Technology (DOST) official said Thursday that the use of Chinese pharmaceutical firm's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine on senior citizens in the Philippines showed no significant side effects on the age group.

“Sa mga datos sa ibang bansa, ginagamit [ang Sinovac] sa senior citizens, at napatunayan na wala po talaga itong major side effects” (Based on data provided by other countries, Sinovac is being used on senior citizens and it showed no major side effects on them), Dr. Jaime Montoya said.

Montoya, DOST Philippine Council for Health Research Development executive director, also said that if there are any side effects, these are well-tolerated by the senior citizens.

However, he said the usual side effects exhibited by senior citizens after inoculation with Sinovac include slight fever, swelling on the injection site, and flu, among others.

Administering Sinovac jabs on senior citizens with comorbidities will not give them major side effects as long as the recipients' health status is well-monitored by their physicians, Montoya added.

Also, he noted that Sinovac has a better safety profile based on the data provided by other countries that used this brand for their elderly population.

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Sinovac on senior citizens amid the shortage in vaccine supply in the Philippines.

But the FDA said an evaluation of the senior citizens’ health must be conducted to ensure that Sinovac’s benefits will outweigh the risks.

Initially, the Philippine government only used AstraZeneca vaccine for senior citizens, but various local government units are facing vaccine supply shortage.

Last week, the DOH said 979,200 doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine initially expected in last month will arrive in the country in April or early May.

However, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. on Tuesday said there would be a “slight delay” in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility due to logistical problems.

The Philippines has so far received 525,600 AstraZeneca vaccine doses from COVAX Facility, a World Health Organization-backed initiative that seeks to ensure equitable access to vaccines, especially poorer nations. (MNS)

PHA chief urges gov't to approve commercial distribution of COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The president of the Philippine Hospital Association on Thursday urged authorities to approve the commercial distribution of rapid antigen test kits for COVID-19 as hospitals find themselves overwhelmed by a fresh surge in infections.

Dr. Jaime Almora said allowing more people to test themselves for COVID-19 could help slow the spread of the virus.

“If we empower the people to do the examination on themselves… then the self-information that they have on their COVID status can be used by them to know how to isolate or to prevent the disease from spreading,” he said.

Almora pointed out that rapid antigen tests are “proven effective” and have a “high” sensitivity rate.

What makes COVID-19 tests expensive, he explained, is “the cost of the manpower that performs those examinations” and the personal protective equipment that health workers need to wear.

“If you remove [those] from the equation… then the cost of the kit alone should be affordable to the people,” Almora said.

“If only the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) would approve commercial distribution so that people can buy them like buying pregnancy tests, because it is as easy as doing a pregnancy test, and people will be taught how to do self-collection of specimen,” he added.

The government recently said it would ramp up testing amid the surge in cases by deploying 500,000 antigen test kits to COVID-19 hotspots.

Almora previously lamented that hospitals were already overwhelmed by the number of COVID-19 patients seeking medical attention.

“The battlefront is not anymore in the hospital. What we need to do now is to bring the battlefront to the doorsteps of every household, every office, every workplace,” he said.

“We need people now to defend themselves, to make sure that they will not get sick, because if they get sick, they cannot expect that they will be accommodated right away in the hospitals.”

The Philippines has 158,701 active COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday afternoon. (MNS)

Philippine Genome Center: 9.9% of over 4k samples account for new coronavirus variants

MANILA (Mabuhay) — At least 9.9% of 4,000 samples processed by the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) account for new variants of coronavirus.

Dr. Cynthia Salome, Executive Director of the PGC, said this is based on 4,751 samples that were subjected to genome sequencing by the PGC since January.

“4,050 have been found to be variants of concern. Two hundred thirty-seven were of UK variant, 163 of South Africa variant. One hundred four is a variant discovered in Central Visayas, one is a variant from Brazil. The UK variant has a higher fatality in elderly, while the South African variant tend to lower the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines,” Salome said during the Laging Handa briefing.

“This means 9.9 percent accounted for variants of concern in the Philippines since we started genomic bio surveillance in January,” Salome added.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque earlier attributed the surge of COVID-19 cases in the country to the new variants of coronavirus which are more transmissible.

Salome noted that while the new variants are more transmissible by 50%, the surge in COVID-19 cases cannot be solely pinned on the emergence of new variants.

“Yes, they are more infectious and we have seen transmission in households, but the surge of COVID-19 cases is really a combination of many factors,” Salome pointed out.

“Maybe because of the long sacrifices we have done [due to quarantine restrictions], there was a drop in compliance in minimum public health standards, the belief that the COVID-19 vaccines are coming and these variants which came in which are more transmissible,” Salome added. (MNS)

PH to build mobile isolation facilities; COVID-19 testing 'virtually free' — Palace

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Philippine government will build mobile isolation facilities as COVID-19 cases continue to rise nationwide, Malacañang said Monday.

Metro Manila hospitals earlier declared full capacity for virus patients, prompting government to place the capital region under strict lockdown until April 11.

Government has built a 110-bed capacity quarantine facility at the Quezon Institute in Quezon City, and will add 160 additional beds to Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital (Tala Hospital) in Caloocan, said Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. "There are now plans to build mobile tents, ICU facilities of up to 200 beds," he said. "We’re doing what other countries did at the height of their own pandemics, we’re relying now on mobile hospitals."

Coronavirus testing is also free except for persons without symptoms, Roque said. "Testing is virtually free if you're an economic frontliner, a medical frontliner, if you've had exposure or if you have symptoms. It's only the asymptomatics without exposure who want to test who will have to pay the required fee," he said. "We’re not giving to everyone but we’re doing it on a targeted basis."

Roque made the remark in response to calls for mass testing as the country's positivity rate increased, or the number of people who get tested for coronavirus and turn out positive.

The Philippines has increased its coronavirus testing to 50,000 per day, said Secretary Vince Dizon, who heads said cluster of government's COVID-19 Task Force. The figure is less than half than the 130,000 daily COVID-19 tests that the UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team recommended to better track the spread of the virus. Vice President Leni Robredo earlier said Metro Manila needs to conduct at least 90,000 tests daily to get a more accurate figure of the pandemic. (MNS)

FDA grants compassionate use permit for ivermectin on humans

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a hospital’s application for "compassionate use" of anti-parasitic drug ivermectin on humans, according to Director General Eric Domingo on Thursday.

“Na-grant na iyong special permit for compassionate use [of ivermectin] kasi alam naman namin na investigational product ito against COVID-19. May isang ospital na nag-apply for compassionate use at na-grant na nga ng araw na ito,” Domingo said during Laging Handa briefing.

Prior to this, ivermectin is only allowed for use on animals.

Domingo, however, clarified that such a compassionate use permit is different from the pending application of two local manufacturers seeking for certificate of product registration for ivermectin.

A compassionate use permit only allows legal administration of the drug in the country but is not an endorsement of its safety and efficacy from the FDA.

A certificate of product registration, on the other hand, will allow manufacturers to sell the drug commercially and is an FDA guarantee that the drug is safe and effective.

A number of lawmakers and even doctors are pushing for prescribing ivermectin on COVID-19 patients, citing anecdotal experiences.

The FDA, however, maintained that ivermectin should be registered with FDA first before prescribing it to humans. (MNS)

PH tries to keep up with rich countries in vaccine purchase

MANILA (Mabuhay) — Despite the challenges in acquiring vaccines, especially the limited global supply, National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 chief implementer, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., assured that the government is exerting all efforts to secure coronavirus jabs for all Filipinos. "Sa ngayon po (so far), most probably baka magkaroon po tayo ng (we are expecting to acquire the) vaccine ng (in the) first quarter, most probably by March, and then also, ang mga (the acquisition of the) second tranche is [in the] second quarter, third quarter and fourth quarter," Galvez said Thursday

He earlier noted that about 80 percent of the available vaccines globally have already been procured by rich countries, resulting in limited supplies hence, the Philippines is experiencing slight delays in vaccine deliveries due to "global logistics constraints."

A New York Times (NYT) report published March 31 said “86 percent of shots that have gone into arms worldwide have been administered in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Only .1 percent of doses have been administered in low-income countries.”

The same NYT report, based on data compiled by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), added that “low-income countries made their first significant vaccine purchase agreements in January 2021 – eight months after the United States and the United Kingdom made their first deals.”

PH 48th among 141 countries in vaccination

The Task Group on Diplomatic Engagement and Negotiation, Galvez said, showed the Philippines is 48th among 141 countries in terms of administering the Covid-19 vaccine, as of March 30.

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines is ranked third behind Indonesia and Singapore, according to financial and media company Bloomberg's tracker.

Bloomberg data showed that more than 590 million doses have been administered across 141 countries, enough to vaccinate 3.9 percent of the global population.

The latest rate was approximately 15.3 million doses daily.

The NTF reported some 738,913 doses have been administered to priority groups, such as healthcare workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities.

Of this number, 68 percent, equivalent to 737,569, received the first dose, while 1,344 or 0.1 percent have completed two doses.

Around 58 percent of 1,468,200 onhand vaccines have also been distributed to 2,596 vaccination sites nationwide. "With the recent arrival of 1 million doses of procured vaccines, the total number of available doses have doubled, and doses distributed throughout the country have significantly increased, with a total of 1,468,200 doses delivered," the NTF said in Viber message.

Expand vaccination

It targets to expand the vaccination of more priority groups in the next coming weeks.

Over 922,000 individuals vaccinated vs. COVID-19 — DOH

MANILA (Mabuhay) — A total of 922,898 individuals have gotten themselves vaccinated against COVID-19 as of April 6, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

Of this number, 64% or 872,213 got the first dose and 3.7% or 50,685 have already completed the two doses.

There are also 2,670 vaccination sites across the country administering the 1,936,600 doses that have been distributed so far, which is equivalent to 77% of the 2,525,600 shots that have been delivered to the country.

The seven-day average of daily vaccinated individuals also fell to 22,932 from a high of 32,940 on March 30.

Several local governments have had to pause their inoculation of senior citizens due to a shortage of AstraZeneca vaccines.

The DOH said the COVAX Facility, a global initiative for equitable vaccine distribution, committed to deliver a new batch of AstraZeneca doses but said it would be delayed due to supply issues.

The Food and Drug Administration has also approved the use of China’s Sinovac vaccine on the elderly amid the AstraZeneca shortfall.

Previously, Sinovac’s CoronaVac was only recommended for clini- QUEUE FOR VACCINE. Manila residents cally healthy individuals aged 18 to 59. wait for their turn to be vaccinated at the Justo Lukban Elementary School in Paco, Manila on Thursday (April 1, 2021). The city

The Philippines has 158,701 ac- government of Manila has started the inoctive cases as of Wednesday after- ulation of senior citizens and persons with noon. (MNS) comorbidities based on the government's priority listing. (MNS photo)

NTF added that the current deployment of the vaccine is limited to priority groups A1 (medical front-liners) and A3 (aged 18 to 59 with comorbidities) who were given the option to choose between CoronaVac and AstraZeneca, while the priority group A2 (elderly) will receive AstraZeneca.

Galvez assured that the nationwide vaccine rollout "is doing good amid the limited supply."

The country's vaccination rate has increased from 35,000 within the first week of March to 271,459 this week.

“Ibig sabihin, ‘yung capacity natin (That means, our capacity) to inoculate will go on exponentially with the availability of more vaccines in different local government units,” he added.

Bulk of vaccines

The government expects to secure the bulk of Covid-19 vaccines by the third quarter of this year, once ongoing negotiations with pharmaceutical companies push through. "Based on our current negotiations, we will be able to purchase at least 148 million doses from more or less seven manufacturers. However, it will be dependent on the global supply," Galvez said.

Around 800,000 out of 1.4 million doses of CoronaVac vaccines, he said, will be deployed in areas under enhanced community quarantine, such as Metro Manila and nearby provinces of Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal.

The shipment of 2.6 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine initially procured by the private companies are expected to arrive in May

The government is also finalizing supply agreements with pharmaceutical firms Johnson&Johnson of the United States and Gamaleya Research Institute of Russia by the second week of April, he added.

The government has already sealed supply deals with Sinovac, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Novavax. (MNS)