The private sector coalition that launched the Taskforce T3 (Test, Trace, Treat) vowed to strengthen its ongoing collaboration with the national government to accelerate the country’s vaccination program rollout to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In a statement, T3 member Guillermo Luz, Chief Resilience Officer of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), said the private sector eagerly anticipates the arrival of the first batch of vaccines from the COVAX facility to finally jumpstart the government’s vaccination program. 

“The collective goal for both the private sector and government is to vaccinate as many people as possible at the soonest possible time,” he said. 

World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe announced in early February that the Philippines will receive the 44 million doses allocated by the COVAX Facility within the year with up to 9.2 million doses arriving in the first and second quarter. 

These initial vaccine doses have been earmarked by the national government for priority sectors led by healthcare professionals and senior citizens.

“Our medical front liners have been tirelessly protecting and treating Filipinos from the beginning of the pandemic and we support the government’s prioritization of healthcare workers in receiving the initial vaccine doses,” T3 member Paolo Borromeo, Chief Operating Officer of AC Health added. 

The Taskforce T3, in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19, is also developing a vaccine education campaign that will educate citizens about vaccine safety and efficacy and ensure public uptake. 

T3 will also provide technical support on vaccine administration and cold-chain logistics for the transit of temperature-controlled vaccine vials. 

According to Go Negosyo founder and Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, successful vaccination rollout is crucial to the country’s efforts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and support the ultimate goal to protect lives and provide livelihood as the country is slowly reopening its local economy. 

Taskforce T3 was formed in April 2020 to work closely with the NTF to manage the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.#

Aside from the T3 efforts, the private sector is also on top of the vaccine doses donation which will benefit the country’s economic and essential frontline workers.