Philippines hits 20 million complete COVID-19 vaccinations

The Philippines has fully vaccinated at least 20 million people against COVID-19, an official said Monday.

Authorities have administered some 43.9 million COVID-19 shots nationwide, of which around 22.5 million were first jabs, said Palace spokesman Harry Roque.

At least 20,307,122 people were fully vaccinated as of Sunday, he said in a press briefing. The national target is 77.1 million.

About 7 million Metro Manila residents were among the fully immunized, representing about 71.86 percent of the capital region's target, Roque said.

The World Health Organization earlier said countries need to vaccinate some 85 percent of their population against COVID-19 following the emergence of more transmissible variants.

The WHO urges countries to inoculate 10 percent of their population by September, 40 percent by yearend, and 70 percent by June next year, according to Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, its representative to the Philippines.

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The Philippines, which is fighting one of Asia's worst coronavirus outbreaks, has confirmed some 2.4 million coronavirus infections, including about 37,000 deaths overall.