Senators seek faster, safer vaccination procedures

MANILA, Philippines — Senators sought a faster and safer rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program as more sectors are being included in the priority list.

Sen. Bong Go, who chairs the committee on health, welcomed the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to include frontline news media workers in the updated list of sectors under Priority Group A4 of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Program.

The senator earlier appealed to the government to include members of the media in the priority list without prejudice to other sectors already identified as priorities.

He cited the significant role played by the media in disseminating information about the pandemic to the public. He pointed out that media workers, especially field reporters, put their health and safety at risk in order to keep Filipinos informed about the country’s current situation.

“What’s important now is that we follow the priority list of the government,” Go said in Filipino.

He stressed the need to ensure accessible, efficient and orderly vaccine rollout in different parts of the country to lessen waiting time and exposure of the public.

He also urged the Department of Health to spread out vaccination centers in barangays and even consider administering vaccines in villages or smaller residential clusters.

“Bringing vaccines to smaller residential clusters, like villages, sitios, or subdivisions, will avoid overcrowding in existing vaccination centers and will prevent the further spread of COVID-19,” Go said.

“LGUs and DOH must maximize available facilities, volunteers, doctors and nurses to speed up an orderly inoculation,” Go said.

Public health expect Dr. Anthony Leachon earlier warned that vaccination sites could become super spreader events if health protocols are not strictly followed.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian recommended to the IATF the inclusion of electrical linemen and meter readers in the priority list of the vaccination program due to the workers’ importance in the country’s energy security and continuous supply of power.

“Just like the other non-medical frontliners, linemen and meter readers who do house-to-house work also put their lives on the line by getting themselves exposed to those who could be possibly infected by the coronavirus. We appeal to the government to consider their prioritization ahead of the mass vaccination,” Gatchalian said.

Their inclusion in the priority list is essential as they attend to the concerns of every household, he said, adding that linemen install lines and do maintenance, repair works and other technical problems even under circumstances where strict health protocols are being enforced.

‘Vaccine self-reliant’

Go also underscored the importance of learning from experiences from the pandemic and being more proactive in preparing for other similar crises in the future.

To address the country’s limited vaccine supply and heavy reliance on global sources, preparations to locally manufacture vaccines in the Philippines must start now, he said.

He said there is a need to accelerate arrangements for public-private partnerships in manufacturing vaccines locally, with the Department of Trade and Industry at the helm.

He urged concerned agencies to support these initiatives and help expedite the setting-up process, but also asked the companies to ensure all requirements are met in accordance with existing laws and regulations.

Go said for the long-term, the Department of Science and Technology is preparing for the establishment of a virology institute in the Philippines, which will eventually enable the country to develop its own vaccines and other related drugs against diseases.

These efforts are intended to avoid similar situations where poorer nations are left with fewer supplies of vaccines as compared to richer and more developed countries that have early on invested in health sciences and medical research, he said.