National Task Force (NTF) Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon on Wednesday, Feb. 17, assured that vaccinators are ready to inoculate Filipinos as soon as the vaccines arrive from the COVAX facility.
In a virtual press briefing, Dizon said the national government and local government units have trained enough vaccinators and are ready to vaccinate 50 million to 70 million Filipinos in 2021.
"Tutulong din po sa atin ang iba't ibang NGO (non-government organizations) tulad ng Philippine Red Cross at private sectors (Various NGOs such as the Philippine Red Cross and private sectors will also help us)," Dizon said during Laging Handa briefing.
"Tayo po ay kampante at ready na po tayo pagdating po ng mga bakuna unang-una dahil sa COVAX facility ay magsisimula na po immediately ang ating program (We are confident and ready to start our vaccination program as soon as the vaccines from the COVAX facility arrive here)," he added.
The testing czar also said the indemnification law is standard to all vaccine manufacturers, not only in Pfizer.
"Yan po ay standard at lahat po ng vaccine manufacturer ay nangangailangan nito dahil itong mga bakunang ito hindi pa natatapos ang product registration sa buong mundo (That is standard to all vaccine manufacturers, it is needed because these vaccines have not yet completed product registration worldwide)," Dizon said.
"Sila po ay undergoing trials pa, most of them Phase 3 trials pa. Pero kailangan na natin silang gamitin dahil emergency situation na ang COVID-19 sa buong mundo. Wala pong pagkakaiba ang mga indemnification process (Vaccines are still undergoing trials, most of them are still in the Phase 3. But we need to use them because there's an global emergency situation because of COVID-19. There's not difference in the indemnification process)," he clarified.
The Philippines' lack of an indemnification law, which ensures compensation for COVID-19 vaccine recipients who sustain injury or any adverse effects from the jab -- has delayed the arrival of 117,000 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines.
In an interview with ANC last week, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the arrival of Pfizer COVID-19 shots could have been delivered to the country mid February if the Philippines had its own indemnification law.