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Mandatory na bakuna vs COVID-19 itinutulak sa Kamara; DOH nag-aalangan

James Relativo - Philstar.com
Mandatory na bakuna vs COVID-19 itinutulak sa Kamara; DOH nag-aalangan
Ilang healthcare workers mula sa Veterans Medical Memorial Center (VMMC) ang tinuturukan ng bakuna laban sa COVID-19 sa larawang ito, ika-1 ng Marso, 2021
The STAR / Boy Santos, File

MANILA, Philippines — Ipinapanukala ngayon ng isang mambabatas mula sa Kamara de Representantes ang obligadong pagtuturok ng bakuna laban sa coronavirus disease (COVID-19), depende sa mga sektor na tutukuyin ng Department of Health (DOH).

Ito ang nakasaad sa bagong hain na House Bill 9252 ni Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, bagay na kikilalaning "Mandatory COVID-19 Immunization Act of 2021" oras na maisabatas, ayon sa mga reports ngayong Lunes.

"The COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021 shall be mandatory for persons as may be determined by the DOH and shall be given for free at any government hospital or health center, and as provided in Republic Act No. 11525, PROVIDED, That inoculation must, at all times, be science and evidence based."

"Consequently, a mandatory mass wide COVID-19 Vaccination Program is imperative to solve the present COVID-19 pandemic and achieve 'herd immunity' or 'population immunity,'" paliwanag ni Barzaga sa explanatory note ng HB 9252.

"The World Health Organization supports achieving 'herd immunity' through vaccination, not by allowing a disease to spread through any segment of the population that would result in unnecessary cases and deaths."

Ayon sa WHO, tumutukoy ang "herd immunity" sa indirect na proteksyon mula sa nakahahawang sakit oras na naging immune na ang populasyon sa pamamagitan ng pagbabakuna o hindi pagtalab ng isang sakit mula sa naunang pagkakahawa.

"To safely achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, a substantial proportion of a population would need to be vaccinated, lowering the overall amount of virus able to spread in the whole population. One of the aims with working towards herd immunity is to keep vulnerable groups who cannot get vaccinated (e.g. due to health conditions like allergic reactions to the vaccine) safe and protected from the disease."

Sa kasalukuyan, tanging healthcare workers, senior citizens at mga taong may iba pang malulubhang sakit (comorbidities) ang tinuturukan laban sa COVID-19. Tinatayang sa Mayo o Hunyo 2021 pa babakunahan ang mga A4 priority list, kung saan nakapaloob ang mga tindero't tindera sa palengke, nagtratrabaho sa pampublikong transportasyon, religious leaders at iba pang sektor na madalas humarap sa publiko.

Pahirapan pa rin kasi sa ngayon ang pagkuha ng suplay ng bakuna, isang dahilan sa mas mabagal na pag-rollout ng vaccination program ng pamahalaan.

Sino ang exemptions sa planong 'mandatory' vaccination?

Sa ilalim ng panukala, exempted mula sa bakuna ang mga taong may kondisyong medikal depende sa mabubuong implementing rules and regulations sa tulong ng DOH o iba pang lisensyadong medical doctor.

Ang naturang isyu ay inilinaw ng Section 4 ng panukala:

"Medical doctors shall have the discretion, subject to disciplinary action by the Philippine Medical Association, to determine whether a person should get a medical exemption and shall issue a medical certificate which shall be attached to the Vaccine Card: PROVIDED, That the medical basis for the exemption shall be clearly indicated and must be consistent with the standard of medical care for that indication: PROVIDED FURTHER, That the medical exemption may be reviewed by the DOH to ensure that they are being provided consistent with the standard of medical care for a particular medical condition."

  • Parusa sa lalabag?: Sa ilalim ng Section 9 ng HB 9252, pwedeng makulong ng hanggang isang taon at/o pagmultahin ng hanggang P50,000 ang lalabag sa anumang probisyon nito oras na maging batas.

DOH: Dapat boluntaryo lang, hindi sapilitan

Sa kabila ng panukala, naninindigan sina Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire na hindi dapat ipilit ang pagtuturok ng bakuna kahit na magbibigay ito ng proteksyon sa nakamamatay na virus.

"They should purely be voluntary. It is the right of a person to decide on his own if he shall receive or not receive a vaccine," ani Vergeire sa media forum ng DOH, Lunes.

"At this stage, this period of the phase that the vaccines are still at that developmental stage, we cannot mandate people to accept these vaccines because it is still really not completed yet."

Sa kabila nito, naniniwala ang DOH na "moral obligation" ito ng bawat Pilipino na magpabakuna para maprotektahan hindi lang ang sarili kundi pati na rin ang buong pamilya't komunidad.

Umabot na sa 997,523 ang tinatamaan ng COVID-19 sa Pilipinas ayon sa mga datos nitong Linggo. Sa bilang na 'yan, patay na ang 16,783.

COVID-19 VACCINES

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

ELPIDIO BARZAGA JR.

MARIA ROSARIO VERGEIRE

NOVEL CORONAVIRUS

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