Philippines speeds up vaccination drive

Manila (VNA) - Vaccination centres across the Philippine capital Manila are trying to speed up inoculation rates, including by staying open 24 hours, to help deal with a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Movement in metro Manila, an urban sprawl of 16 cities home to 13 million people, has been restricted to contain the Delta variant. Some vaccination centers decide to operate at night to avoid crowds during the day as people scramble to get a jab.

Last week, thousands queued outside Manila vaccination centres after rumours spread that people would not be able to leave their homes if they did not get their shots.

With just over 10 percent of the country's 110 million people fully vaccinated, millions remain vulnerable to infection amid efforts to fully immunise up to 70 million before the year ends.

Since the outbreak, the Philippines has recorded more than 1.67 million cases of COVID-19 and 29,000 deaths. More hospitals in the the country reported that their intensive care units, isolation beds, and treatment wards are operating at almost full capacity. Some hospitals have to deny admission of patients due to lack of beds and ventilators./.