‘Vax to the Max’: Galvez, target na alisin na ang priority list sa COVID-19 vaccination

KINUKUNSIDERA na ni Secretary Carito Galvez Jr., vaccine czar at chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), ang pag-alis sa  “priorities” sa vaccination program upang bigyang daan ang pagbabakuna sa lahat ng mga indibiduwal  na handa at payag na  magpabakuna.

Ani Galvez, nakausap na ng  NTF ang pribadong sektor at isa sa kanilang rekumendasyon ay ang “Vax to the Max” kung saan ia-accommodate ng gobyerno ang mga gustong magpabakuna sa halip na sundin ang priority list.

“Their, private sector first proposal is called Vax to the Max. This means that we have to vaccinate all the willings. We will do away with the sequential strategy and we will widen the coverage so that those who want to get the vaccine can do so,” ang bahagi ng ulat ni  Galvez kay Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte sa  Talk to the People ng huli, Martes ng gabi.

Sinusunod ng pamahalaan ang rekomendasyon ng World Health Organization (WHO) na priority list sa vaccination program nito.

Sa kasalukuyan, kabilang sa mga prayoridad ay ang   healthcare workers (A1), senior citizens (A2), persons with co-morbidities (A3), economic frontliners (A4), at indigent population (A5).

“But with the Vax to Max strategy,it is seen to significantly raise the daily vaccine throughput to 1.5 million doses from the current average of 400,000 to 500,000 administered jabs daily,” ani Galvez.

Maliban dito, ipinanukala rin ng pribadong sektor sa NTF na magbigay ng insentibo sa mga fully vaccinated individuals upang mahikayat ang mas maraming tao na magpabakuna, na tinalakay na ni Galvez kay  Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Ano.

“If they are vaccinated, they could be the only ones allowed to go out. They could be the only ones allowed to dine-in, travel, and they will have no restrictions,” ayon kay Galvez.

“That’s what Israel did, and they also subjected the unvaccinated to swab test every week, the expenses of which will be shouldered by them [unvaccinated]. So these are the vaccination mandates, meaning it will entice most of our unvaccinated to be vaccinated,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Gayunman, maaari namang maging sanhi ng problema ang estratehiya sa  “far-flung and geographically isolated areas” na  bihirang marating ng suplay ng bakuna.

“We are addressing the logistical challenge at the regional, provincial, and municipal deployment and administration because we noticed that it takes more or less seven to nine days before the vaccines are deployed in the vaccination sites,” ang lahad ni Galvez.

Idagdag pa, ipinanukala rin ng pribadong sektor sa  NTF na lumikha ng public-private task force na tutugon sa mga hadlang sa  healthcare system gaya ng pagbabayad sa  Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), pagpapanatili ng  “masking” at pagbibigay ng ligtas na kapaligiran at ventilation sa komunidad at lugar na pinagta-trabahuan at paghahanda ng revaccination o third dosing sa healthcare workers at vulnerable sector sa Nobyembre o unang bahagi ng buwan ng Disyembre. (Daris Jose)