Malacanang debunked on Thursday claims that the government was slow in implementing the vaccination program against coronavirus disease.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said there is a process to be undertaken before the delivered vaccines can be deployed to various places.

"It's not slow, but there are processes that need to be undertaken and that's the reason why when (the vaccines) arrive, they cannot be used immediately," he said in a televised press briefing.

He said the newly-delivered vaccines should have to undergo certificate analysis to ensure they have the same quality as to the latest batch of jabs that arrived in the country.

Roque cited the 1.5 million Sinovac vaccine that recently arrived in the country, saying that it cannot be dispatched immediately as they have to pass thorough analysis.

As of May 11, there were 7,764,050 available anti-COVID-19 doses in the country, of which 83 percent have been distributed, equating to 6,408,640 doses, according to the National Task Force Against COVID-19.

Of the total doses, 2,539,693 doses have been administered. Celerina Monte/DMS