MANILA - Metro Manila can achieve population protection by November, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said Tuesday as local governments ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations.

The capital region is administering 200,000 doses per day, exceeding its target of 120,000 daily jabs, said MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos.

"Ang population protection is you protect the first 3: medical frontliners, senior citizens, at persons with comorbidities. Siguro kaya ito bago mag-November. Kayang-kaya po ng Metro Manila mayors ito," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

(Population protection means you protect the first 3: medical frontliners, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities. We can do it maybe before November, our Metro Manila mayors can achieve this.)

Metro Manila's healthcare utilization rate has also improved as COVID-19 cases declined, said Abalos.

The region is utilizing 5,000 of 15,000 contact tracers that the labor department had provided and will deploy the remaining personnel in the next two months, he added.

The Philippines aims to vaccinate at least 58 million individuals this year to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus. A total of 8,407,342 jabs have been administered nationwide as of Sunday, government said.

• COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in PH top 8.4 million: gov't

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