Government, private sector agree to fast-track vaccine rollout

MANILA, Philippines — The government and the private sector are working to further accelerate the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and resolve logistical challenges, Sen. Bong Go said.

Go, chairman of the Senate committee on health, had a meeting on Sunday night with concerned officials from the executive branch, as well as leaders from the private sector, to further improve the national vaccination program.

He said they also tackled the possibility of fast-tracking the vaccination of a wider population, particularly those in the A4 and A5 category.

Go stressed the need to expedite vaccine rollouts in critical areas such as NCR Plus, which covers Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.

He added vaccination should also be expedited in Batangas, Pampanga, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao.

The senator said the essential sectors or A4 category, including the economic frontliners and the media, are very important to balance protecting health and stimulating the economy.

“Just as President Duterte and I promised, we will make sure that the vaccine reaches the poor and the most needy, and those who need to go out to earn a living and raise their families. This is the A5 category to which the indigent belong,” Go said.

Go reiterated his call for the government to find a way for the vaccine to reach other sectors as soon as possible. He said additional doses continue to arrive in the country from various sources and more than 2.9 million who belong to the A1 to A3 categories have already been vaccinated.

“Once the A4 and A5 have started, we can designate express lanes for the remaining A1 to A3 that have not been vaccinated. They can come back if they are still undecided right now. What’s important is that no vaccine and time will be wasted so that we can reach herd immunity faster,” he said.

Go also appealed to the executive branch to build more vaccination centers in every corner of the country so that more people can be vaccinated every day.

“If vaccinations need to be done 24/7, let’s do it to avoid expiring or wastage of vaccines and so that people don’t gather and violate health protocols particularly social distancing,” he said.

The senator pointed out the importance of ensuring continuous purchase and arrival of vaccines despite limited supply. “We have to solve logistical and transportation challenges immediately to avoid glitches. Let us also intensify our information dissemination to allay the people’s fear of the vaccine,” he said.

“All of these concerns should be to make our Christmas safer this year. Let’s trust and support the vaccination program. The vaccine is the key or solution to overcome this pandemic and get us back to normal life,” he added.