Sen. Gatchalian urges opening vaccines to public amid hesitancy

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is urging the government to open COVID-19 vaccinations to the general public due to vaccine hesitancy among priority groups.

He noted that the Philippines is expecting 21 million vaccine doses in June, which is sufficient for the willing population.

A recent Social Weather Stations survey indicated that only 32% of the population are willing to be vaccinated.

Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III also suggested vaccinating "the willing" as some prioritized individuals are hesitant.

Pimentel expressed concern that vaccines might expire if not administered promptly.

Gatchalian suggested prioritizing adults for vaccination to enable them to return to work, followed by teenagers.

As of May 22, the Philippine government administered a total of 4,097,425 COVID-19 vaccine doses nationwide.

The Philippines aims to inoculate 50 to 70 million individuals this year to achieve herd immunity.