Marikina City Mayor Marcelino "Marcy" Teodoro on Thursday ordered the creation of Marikina City's COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force to prepare for the citywide rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program.
Teodoro signed Executive Order (EO) No. 1, Series of 2021 to help instill confidence among the city's residents on the vaccine and to provide them with an efficient and effective inoculation drive against the disease.
The task force is composed of the city mayor as chairperson and the vice-mayor as co-chairperson, and eight medical experts -- a pulmonologist, an oncologist, a molecular biologist, and five infectious diseases specialists, to guarantee the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. City department heads and other local officials are also members of the task force.
Under the EO, the task force has the following functions:
A. Vaccine Assessment -- To assess and evaluate the vaccines to be acquired by the city based on their effectiveness, safety, and other considerations such as storage, handling, equipment, and training requirements. It shall include for formulation of eligibility criteria for ensuring that each priority sector of the population will receive and are matched with the COVID-19 vaccine most suitable to them in terms of safety and efficacy;
B. Profiling and Selection -- To identify and profile the target population or priority groups to be immunized and their eligibility to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in line with the national guidelines and criteria set by the medical experts. The team shall record key information and create a master list of the target eligible population or priority group;
C. Acquisition and Procurement -- To acquire COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the Philippines in coordination with the national government;
D. Storage and Handling -- To ensure the availability of appropriate cold storage facilities for the vaccines in accordance with the recommended vaccines storage temperatures. The team shall also manage and conduct vaccine transfer or transport to ensure that cold chain storage is maintained;
E. Administration -- To develop and administer a system for registering, administering, and tracking the distribution of doses, including notifying beneficiaries of their eligibility and the vaccination schedule. The team shall also ensure the availability of sufficient manpower to distribute and administer the vaccine, including medical and non-medical private sector volunteers wherever necessary;
F. Vaccination Program Communication -- To develop a campaign strategy which discusses the safety of the vaccine, the status of vaccine availability, and education on personal and community benefits of receiving the vaccine. The team shall fully develop and implement clear and concise information regarding the vaccine;
G. Case Monitoring -- To monitor the health condition of those inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine, conduct reminders for their second dose, and ensure that proper medical care is given in case of adverse side effects; and
H. COVID-19 Vaccination Program Monitoring -- To establish a vaccine database which includes provider data, vaccine orders and administration data for reporting purposes. The team shall also analyze the acquired data, generate reports, and provide recommendations to obtain accurate and adequate vaccine data for Marikina and ensure effective vaccine allocation.
During the visit of the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) team in Marikina on Wednesday, Teodoro emphasized that the city's primary objective which is to preserve the institutional integrity of its healthcare system.
“Kung kaya una nating bibigyan ng vaccine ang ating mga (That's why we will first give the vaccine to our) frontliners, ang mga involved sa frontline services (those involved in frontline services), medical at non-medical, invoking the principle of reciprocity where we put more premium to those with greater responsibility and protect those who are most at risk of getting infected." Teodoro said.
“If there’s one thing this pandemic taught us, it is how we are highly interdependent in the spread of the virus, in our attempts to contain the infection, in finding the cure, and today, in administering the vaccine in our hope to more than survive, but to overcome it, and return to normalcy,” he added.