If the vaccines will arrive on time, the National Task Force against COVID-19 Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. on Wednesday said 60 percent of Filipinos will be vaccinated by the last quarter of 2021.

Galvez made the statement after ‘The Economist’ forecast that the Philippines will be able to finish vaccinating at least 60 percent of Filipinos by the last quarter of 2023.

“I believe the basis of The Economist is wrong because the timeline of delivery of our procurement is third quarter and fourth quarter (of 2021),” he said.

Galvez said all vaccine procurements are expected to be delivered within the year.

“What we can see as the best case scenario, if the vaccine will arrive on time, (vaccination) will be in the last quarter of 2021… Worst case scenario is more or less the first semester of 2022… We will not reach 2023,” he said.

If arrival of vaccines will be delayed, Galvez said the definitive cause will be due to the lack of supply.

“If the supply will be available within the year, we can (vaccinate) 50 to 70 million people,” he said.

“This will be dependent-- as we can see-- (if) there is a drawback or shortfall of vaccine supply… We saw AstraZeneca, Pfizer. There is a drawdown on their manufacturing… that will only be the definitive cause if ever we will be delayed,” he added.

As February is expected to be the target date of vaccine arrivals, Galvez said the one million doses will be for health workers and frontliners first.

“That’s our target… February or March we will start with health workers,” he said. Ella Dionisio/DMS