Go stresses comprehensive nat'l COVID vaccination program

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go  renewed Sunday his call for the government to have a systematic and comprehensive national COVID-19 vaccination program, noting the positive developments on the potential vaccine that would soon be out in the market.

Go, chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, echoed President Duterte’s call to ensure that the poor and the vulnerable are given priority in the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program.

“Huwag nating pabayaan ang mga mahihirap. Pantay-pantay dapat ang access at hindi lamang ang mga may kaya sa buhay ang makakakuha ng vaccine na ito (Let’s not forget the poor. Everyone should have equal access to the vaccine, not just those who are well-off),” Go said in a statement.

“Siguraduhin nating magkaroon ng access ang mga pinaka-nangangailangan, lalo na ang mga mahihirap at vulnerable sectors. Sila ang kailangan lumabas at magtrabaho upang buhayin ang pamilya nila (Let’s make sure those who need it the most have a clear access, especially the poor and the vulnerable sectors. They are the ones who need to go out and work for their family),” he said.

Go also said it is imperative that the government plan, communicate, and implement a national vaccination program to guarantee equitable access and systematic provision once safe and effective vaccines are made available.

“Kailangang paghandaan din ang storage, logistics, and transportation ng mga bakunang ito (We need to prepare for the storage, logistics, and transportation of these vaccines),” the senator said.

“Mahalaga na nakakaabot ang mga ito mga dapat makatanggap — kasama na diyan ang mga frontliners at mga kababayan natin sa iba’t-ibang parte ng bansa (It’s important that these medicines reach the people who need it most—that includes our frontliners and other fellowmen in other parts of the country),” he added.

Go  urged the Department of Health (DoH) to plan ahead the systematic provision of the COVID-19 vaccine, especially with the possibility of a limited supply.

"'Yung buong proseso, ilatag na natin para mas mabilis tayong makabangon muli. Itong vaccine naman ang inaabangan nating paraan upang matigil ang pagkalat ng COVID-19 kung kaya’t ‘wag natin sayangin ang oportunidad na pagplanuhan ang maayos na implementasyon nito (Let’s lay down the whole process so we can recover at the soonest time possible. We have been waiting for this vaccine to stop the spread of COVID-19, so let’s not waste the opportunity to implement this smoothly),” he said.

Go said he agrees with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) pronouncement saying that the integral part for the country’s recovery is to have a comprehensive and equitable National Vaccine Program to save lives and protect more people in a systematic and properly planned manner.

Recently, the world welcomed Moderna and Pfizer’s report that their vaccines in development have good efficacy against COVID-19.

Moderna reported a 95 percent protection against the virus while Pfizer reported preliminary data of 90 percent protection and 94 percent protection for adults over 65-years-old.