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As Health Secretary Matt Hancock reflects on the UK’s high vaccine pickup, over in the Philippines the government there has revealed it’s far behind its immunisation targets.
In light of the new data, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has appealed to the public to get vaccinated, as the country grapples with one of Asia’s most severe and long-running outbreaks.
“This is the most, if not the only… effective way, to defeat the coronavirus pandemic,” Duterte says in a televised address.
“Let us all keep in mind that the vaccine will not only protect you from the virus, it will also protect your loved ones, especially the sick and elderly,” he adds.
John Wong, a data analyst with the government’s Covid task force, says in the three months since inoculations began, only 14% of elderly citizens and 8% of people with health conditions have received a jab – short of the government’s 21% target.
In addition, only half of the 21.1 million people eligible for a second dose have come back to receive it.
The slow roll-out has been attributed to limited supplies, accessibility problems and vaccine hesitancy.
The Philippines has recorded 1.24 million Covid cases and more than 21,000 deaths since its national outbreak began.
The government says it expects a steadier supply of vaccines from this month. Nearly 10 million doses of various vaccine brands are due for delivery in June.
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