MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health on Tuesday said there should be a regular rotation on health workers' shift in vaccination sites to avoid exhaustion, following an incident in Makati that has gone viral on social media.
Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire sought to respond to the "breach" in protocol in the city where the vaccination on a prospective recipient was not done properly.
"Let's limit the time of our health care workers to just a specific eight hours," she said in a briefing, partially in Filipino. "We should have a rotation so they can rest and commit [fewer] mistakes."
DOH has vowed to look into the matter and said the individual was able to receive the jab after the incident.
Makati Mayor Abby Binay has also appealed for the public's understanding. The health official echoed this, saying health workers are on duty more than eight hours in a day.
"We know they have been rendering this service from the start," Vergeire said in Filipino. "But this does not justify what happened because it was really not right... let us try not to crucify the health worker."
She added that inoculation sites have since been told on observing the vaccination protocols, and health workers on being aware of their state or condition.
As for recipients, Vergeire said individuals have the right to ask to see the syringe before and after the vaccination to clear doubts.
The health official thanked the public as well for bringing concerns to identify gaps in inoculation efforts.
Government figures showed as of June 28 that 10.06 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered. There are now over 2.52 million Filipinos fully vaccinated, while 7.53 million have received their first dose.