MANILA, Apr 1 (NNN-PNA) – The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) reported today, 8,920 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 756,199.
The death toll climbed to 13,303, after six more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH added.
The Philippines, which has about 110 million population, tested over 9.5 million people, since the outbreak in Jan, 2020. This country kicked off its vaccination programme on Mar 1, a day after the delivery of the first batch of Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine, donated by China.
The government aims to inoculate up to 70 million Filipinos this year to achieve herd immunity, starting with health care workers.
“Metro Manila started administering the second dose for healthcare workers vaccinees,” the DOH said today, adding, vaccination for senior citizens or those aged above 60, with underlying conditions, has begun.
The Philippines also received one million doses of CoronaVac vaccine on Monday, the first tranche of the 25 million doses purchased by the Philippine government.
The government is ramping up the vaccination efforts in Metro Manila and its four adjacent provinces, where most infections are detected. These areas are under strict lockdown until this Sunday.
