4.1 million Filipinos get first COVID-19 vaccine dose during ECQ

Over 4.1 million Filipinos received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period from August 6 to 19, a significant increase compared to the 1.6 million vaccinated in the preceding two weeks.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III highlighted this achievement as a major accomplishment during the ECQ, which aimed to curb rising COVID-19 cases.

More than 12.7 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, while over 15.5 million have gotten their first dose.

Dominguez has been saying that ramping-up mass vaccination will significantly reduce the need for wide-scale quarantines.

The government plans to expedite the vaccination rollout to increase the number of immunized individuals, facilitating economic reopening.

This strategy, combined with granular quarantines and increased work capacity, aims to balance economic recovery with public health concerns.

Despite the economic challenges posed by the ECQ, the government managed to achieve an 11.8 percent GDP growth in the second quarter of 2021.

However, economic managers revised the 2021 growth target downwards to 4 percent to 5 percent due to the impact of the recent two-week ECQ.