The national government is seeking the help of the private sector to accelerate the country's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination program, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. bared Monday night, March 23.
Galvez, vaccine czar and chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, made the remark as the government sets its sight on the completion of the vaccination of 1.7 million healthcare workers -- listed as A1 in the priority list -- nationwide in April, and the inoculation of other sectors including senior citizens (A2), persons with co-morbidities (A3), essential workers in frontline services (A4), and indigenous people (A5).
"Iyon po ang aming i-a-ano po sa NITAG na kung puwede pong magkaroon po ng tinatawag natin na sequential ano --- sequential ano kasi 'yong sequential ano po medyo matagal po. Dapat po talaga simultaneous --- simultaneous po nating ginagawa, we are targeting A1 to A3 and A4 at the same time (We will to the NITAG if we can conduct because sequential is quite a long process. It should be simultaneous so we are targeting A1 to A3 and A4 at the same time)," he told President Duterte during the latter's weekly Cabinet meeting.
Galvez said that the national and local government units will take care of the vaccination of A1 to A3, and A5 sectors while the private sector will handle the inoculation of the A4 including the economic frontliners.
He said he already discussed the plan with the private sector, particularly with the Ayala Group of Companies and the Custom Consulting Group.
If the government and the private sector reach an agreement, Galvez said that around 18 million Filipinos will be administered with anti-COVID-19 shot once the vaccination of the general public starts in May.
The NTF chief implementer said this strategy, the PERT/CPM model or Program Evaluation and Review Technique / Critical Path Method, which refers to a plan of action that helps an individual recognize the action needed to be performed so the whole project is completed on time, is also done in other countries such as United States, Israel, and Indonesia.
"Sa experience po ng US, hindi po nila tinapos 'yong ano… 'yong healthcare workers. Noong nakaka 11 percent pa lang po sila, bumanat na po sila sa ano… sa essential workers kaya 75 plus million na ang kanilang na-vaccinated. Ganoon din po 'yong ages 16 to 64 with medical conditions (In the experience of US, they did not wait to complete the vaccination of the healthcare workers. After they vaccinated 11 percent , they started with the essential workers so they have already reached 75 million vaccinees now. They also did it with individuals aged 16 to 64 with medical conditions)," Galvez said.
"Ganoon din po ang Israel na habang ano… habang kalahatian po ng ano ng healthcare workers, nag-ano na rin po sila sa ages 55, 40, 35 and then now they are now on the 16 (That's what Israel also did, while they are half-way into the vaccination of their healthcare workers, they also started inoculating those aged 55,40, 35, and now they are on 16)," he shared.
"Ganoon din po ang ginawa ng ano… ng Indonesia. Kung makikita niyo po ito ang Indonesia na medyo nag-deviate siya nang kaunti pero maganda rin po ang ginawa niya kasi tumataas po ang kaniyang vaccination record per day. So ibig sabihin sa kalahatian po ng healthcare workers, while they are waiting for ano --- they are waiting for the second shot, ang ginawa po binibig --- inuna rin po nila 'yong elderly, and then 'yong public services workers at saka 'yong essential workers (It's what Indonesia also did. Indonesia deviated slightly but they are also doing good because their vaccination record per day is increasing. That means after half of their healthcare workers, while waiting for the second shot, they started vaccinating the elderly, then the public service workers, and essential workers)," he noted.
This is not the first time that the government sought the help of the private sector in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Late last year, the government and the private sector entered into a tripartite deal for the procurement of 2.6 million doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccines.
Last week, another tripartite deal was also signed by the government and the private sector for the procurement of 20 million doses of Moderna vaccines.
The private sector has also helped in the construction of temporary treatment monitoring facilities (TTMFs) for the isolation of COVID-positive individuals.
Right now, the country is still in the process of vaccinating the A1 priority which are the healthcare workers.
Around 21.71 percent, or 370,000 of the total 1.7 million healthcare workers, have so far been inoculated against COVID-19 since the vaccination program was launched on March 1.
The government is targeting to finish the vaccination of all healthcare workers by April, and start inoculating the general public by May.
It is eyeing to make 500,000 to one million vaccinations per week by April and May once the bulk of vaccines procured by the government start arriving in the second quarter of 2021.