DOH: Metro Manila got one-third of COVID-19 vaccines

Metro Manila, an urban sprawl that is home to some 12 million people, has received about one-third of the Philippines' total COVID-19 vaccine supply so far, an official of the Department of Health said on Wednesday. 

The Philippines has taken delivery of about 7.7 million COVID-19 shots, including those from Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech, Britain's Oxford-AstraZeneca, US firm Pfizer, and Russian Gamaleya Institute, said DOH Supply Chain Management Service Director Ariel Valencia. 

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Around 36 percent of total supply or some 2.7 million doses were distributed to the 16 cities and one municipality of Metro Manila, he said in a televised public briefing. 

The capital region and surrounding provinces are the epicenter of the Philippine COVID-19 outbreak. 

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Metro Manila alone accounts for about 40 percent of the country's economic output. 

Government aims to achieve COVID-19 herd immunity in Metro Manila and 6 surrounding areas by November.