Government's vaccine rollout seen last week of February
By Dhel Nazario
The start of the government's vaccination program against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can be seen towards the third or fourth week of February, the country's testing czar said on Monday.
Secretary Vince Dizon, Deputy Chief Implementer of the National Action Plan Against COVID -19, said this based on the schedule presented by vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr.
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, through the COVAX facility, is expected to arrive by mid-February.
"The target is towards the end of February, because the COVAX facility, for example, is, I think, we can expect in the middle of February. So, towards the third and maybe the fourth week of February, we can see the start of the vaccination program on the ground," Dizon said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.
After the frontliners, the vulnerable and the indigent population, or those who cannot afford the vaccine will be prioritized. Essential workers will also be part of the clear prioritization schedule.
"Because we do know that it is very important. It is critical that we open up the economy as fast as we can but in the safest way possible. And that's why I think the partnership with the private sector, allows us to do that more effectively and also faster because it allows the private sector to devote resources for their workforce," Dizon said.
"At the same time, it also allows the government to prioritize other sectors that need support from the government. This partnership, I think, is a very effective way of expanding the sectors that we will be vaccinating as soon as possible," he added.
Dizon disclosed that the private sector has ordered roughly about 2.7 million doses, half of which they have donated to the national government as part of an agreement signed with the government and the vaccine manufacturers, particularly AstraZeneca.
He also mentioned that the private sector is committed to the prioritization scheme which will be followed all over the world.
"As they go down the line of the prioritization schedule, then they will eventually get to a point where their employees will be the ones that will be vaccinated, but we have to first prioritize our frontliners, both medical and non medical, and other country men and women of ours who are less fortunate. So, this is really part of the equitable distribution of very, very limited vaccines," Dizon said.
He also said the government is in talks with its partners, including local government units, with regard to the massive vaccination rollout.
"We need to use all available resources, including those that we set up during the initial stages of the fight, these are the gyms, these are the various common facilities, whether government and private sector, that we can use in the vaccination rollout. So we will be utilizing every resource, every asset to be sure that we can swiftly vaccinate as many of our countrymen as we can," he said.