The Department of Health on Saturday said a total of 9,937,827 were vaccinated against COVID-19 during the expanded five-day national vaccination drive.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the campaign was a "huge success" as the country was able to breach its target to inoculate at least nine million people.
“For the first three days, we were able to vaccinate 8.01 million, but with this extension, we were able to add 1.9 million more,” Vergeire said.
9.9m…Vergeire said the country also recorded its highest number of daily jabs at 2.82 million.
The inoculation campaign, originally set for Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, was extended for two days until Dec. 3.
The second round is scheduled for Dec. 15 to 17.
Vergeire urged local government units to accept vaccinees even without prior registration.
"If ever a person is already inside the vaccination site, we hope that the local government will call them to get vaccinated even if not registered because we lose the opportunity if we send them home," she said.
The Philippines has so far secured 146 million doses of vaccines against COVID-19, of which over 90 million have been administered.
The latest data from the DOH showed that 37.56 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 while 443,985 received their booster doses.
The League of Provinces of the Philippines, however, cited the lack of vaccinators as the reason why several LGUs failed to hit their targets.
“There are several LGUs that have insufficient numbers of vaccinators.
That's why they haven’t met their target number to be vaccinated, but their supply of vaccines is enough,” LPP president and Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr. said.
Velasco said 31 provinces have met 50 percent of their targets while Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Batanes, Siquijor, and Camiguin reached or surpassed 100 percent of their target population during the five-day Bayanihan, Bakunahan drive.