Private sector supports government COVID-19 vaccination program

MANILA, Philippines — With the impending arrival of the first batch of vaccines under the COVAX global vaccine sharing facility this month, the private sector coalition that launched Taskforce T3 (Test, Trace, Treat) vowed yesterday to strengthen its ongoing collaboration with the national government to accelerate the pace of the vaccination program rollout.

“The private sector eagerly anticipates the arrival of the first batch of vaccines from the COVAX facility in order for the country to jumpstart its vaccination program. The collective goal for both the private sector and government is to vaccinate as many people as possible at the soonest possible time,” Guillermo Luz, chief resilience officer of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, a T3 member, said in a statement.

Luz said that these initial vaccine doses have been earmarked by the national government for priority sectors led by health care professionals and senior citizens.

“Our medical frontliners have been tirelessly protecting and treating Filipinos from the beginning of the pandemic and we support the government’s prioritization of health care workers in receiving the initial vaccine doses,” Paolo Borromeo, CEO of AC Health, another T3 member, added.

For the vaccination rollout, Taskforce T3, in partnership with the Department of Health and the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19, is developing a vaccine education campaign to inform citizens about vaccine safety and efficacy.

T3 is also providing technical support on vaccine administration and cold-chain logistics for the transit of temperature-controlled vaccine vials.

All these efforts of Taskforce T3 are on top of the vaccine doses donated by the private sector to the national government part of the procurement by the private sector for its economic and essential frontliners.

The private sector procurement is intended to augment the supply purchased by the national government and the vaccines secured from the COVAX facility.

“A successful vaccination rollout is crucial to our country’s efforts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and support our ultimate goal to protect lives and provide livelihood. The private sector is unwavering in its commitment to assist the national government by providing resources and expertise to ensure the success of its vaccination program,” Joey Concepcion, founder of Go Negosyo and presidential adviser for entrepreneurship, said.

Taskforce T3 was formed in April 2020 to work closely with the NTF to manage the outbreak of the pandemic.

Last October the group launched the “Ingat Angat Tayong Lahat” campaign, which aimed to build consumer confidence and encourage Filipinos to once again enjoy activities outside the confines of their homes to help rebuild the economy and protect jobs – as long as strict safety guidelines and protocols are followed.