President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday vaccination slots might be opened to the general public as early as October as the country fights a fresh surge of infections driven by the hyper contagious coronavirus Delta variant.
Vaccine slots might be opened to all of the Filipino adult population by the start of the fourth quarter if supplies permit, Duterte said, noting that he prefers to prioritize the poor.
"We are studying the possibility of vaccinating the general adult population as early as October if there is a stable vaccine supply," he said in his public address taped Monday but aired Tuesday morning.
"Kung kaya na maabsorb ng gobyerno lahat ng tao na mabakunahan, we will start with maski sino na, general public," he said.
COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines is so far limited to health workers, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, the working population, and the poor.
As of Sept. 5, the country has fully vaccinated over 15 million individuals against an initial target of 77 million.