March 22, 2023

Manila, March 3, 2022 – During the months of January and February 2022, the U.S. Peace Corps partnered with local health officials and USAID Reach Health Project to vaccinate over 10,600 Filipinos at mass vaccination clinics in Quezon City and Caloocan City. Doctors and nurses from the the U.S. Peace Corps helped fill critical shortages in medical professional staffing and meet vaccine demand during the recent Omicron surge, volunteering two days a week over this two-month period.

This is only the first phase in a much larger, nationwide effort to increase the national vaccination rate, now at 71 percent (with two doses), and thereby protect the Filipino people. During the month of February, the U.S. Peace Corps’ medical team was able to give jabs and screen adolescents at mass vaccine clinics targeting ages 12-17 years old. In partnership with the Department of Health and USAID, the U.S. Peace Corps will continue to support this critical initiative by supporting pediatric vaccine clinics for children ages 5-11 in the NCR, other parts of Luzon, and the Visayas.

USAID’s health and humanitarian assistance supports the Philippine government to implement internationally recognized prevention, control, and response strategies to protect Filipinos — including the most vulnerable — against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. To date, USAID provided $34.5 million assistance to improve the national and local responses through risk communication, laboratory strengthening, contact tracing, isolation, critical care management, logistics management, training, and acceleration of vaccine coverage.

The U.S. Peace Corps is the U.S. government’s premier volunteer organization and has supported Filipino communities across the country for more than 60 years. Over 9,300 American volunteers have served as co-teachers, youth development facilitators, environmental experts, or filled other roles requested by host communities over the decades. In the absence of American volunteers due to the ongoing pandemic, the U.S. Peace Corps is devoting all available resources, including its medical professionals who would otherwise be caring for American volunteers, to supporting Philippine and U.S. Government partners in overcoming COVID in the Philippines.