The Department of Health (DOH) urged Wednesday, March 24, government officials and the public to respect the prioritization policy for the recipients of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire made the statement amid reports that Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez received a COVID-19 jab despite the current policy that healthcare workers should first receive the essential vaccine.
“Gusto namin makiusap sa ating mga kababayan at mga fellow officials meron tayong sinusunod na prioritization framework. This prioritization framework, hindi po natin iyan inilagay just for anything else but because we have specific objective in this response for COVID (We want to ask our citizens and fellow officials that we have a prioritization framework. This prioritization framework, we did not put that just for anything else but because we have a specific objective in this response for COVID),” said Vergeire in a press briefing on Wednesday, March 24.
“As I see this, I again implore yung tulong ng mga kababayan at fellow officials--sana intindihin natin ang framework (As I see this, I again implore the help of my countrymen and fellow officials--- I hope we understand the framework),” she reiterated.
Vergeire said the DOH was not encouraging the “Plus one” scheme, wherein the immediate family of healthcare workers will also be vaccinated at this point.
“Nagbigay na din kami ng babala sa mga regional directors ng DOH. Tinawagan namin sila at sinabi natin na (We have also issued a warning to the regional directors of the DOH. We called them and we said) ‘nobody jumps the line.’ The most important people to be vaccinated at this time are healthcare workers,” she said.
“Huwag natin kunin yung bakuna na dapat sa tao na magliligtas ng ating buhay. Hindi natin ito recommended, hindi natin i-e encouraged, walang protocol na Plus 1 (Let's not take the vaccine that should be given to the person who will save our lives. We don't recommend it, we don't encourage it, there is no Plus 1 protocol),” she added.
The Health official also reiterated the previous warning of the World Health Organization (WHO) about following prioritization.
“Sana maalala din natin ang WHO ay nagbigay na ng babala na kung sakaling magkaroon ng breaches doon sa ating pinirmahang agreement with them (I hope we also remember that theWHO has warned that in the event there are breaches in the agreement we signed with them), through the COVAX facility, our additional or future supplies of these vaccines that will be given to the Philippine government might be compromised,” said Vergeire.
On March 4, WHO Country Representative Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe said the Philippines should show that it can roll out its COVID-19 vaccination program in an “efficient manner.”
“If we want to ensure that we continue to access the vaccines from COVAX facility, we need to demonstrate that we can follow prioritization, we can offer protection to the most vulnerable,” Abeyasinghe then said.
“We urged the Department of Health and all partners engaged in the rollout of vaccines to follow this prioritization so that we don’t impact and jeopardize future deliveries of vaccines through the COVAX facility and to ensure a smooth delivery of vaccines,” he then added.
Vegeire urged everyone to “let us wait for our turn” amid the limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines in the country.
“Lahat tayo entitled to be vaccinated. We just need to have this prioritization because hindi pa enough yung bakuna sa ngayon. Dadating din sa point ba mabibigyan tayo lahat (We are all entitled to be vaccinated. We just need to have this prioritization because the vaccine is not enough yet. The appropriate time will come that all of us will receive it),” she said.
Vergeire said that they were coordinating with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the possible penalty for those who are skipping the prioritization list.
“Tinitingnan natin ano ang pwede isagawa (We're looking at what can be done) aside from warning them with this jumping of the line,” she said.
She also encouraged the public to report to the DOH if they monitored such acts in their respective areas.
“We advise the public na kung sakaling nakakakita kayo ng mga taong jumping the line or skipping the line para sa pagbabakuna, maaring tumawag sa DOH hotline or regional offices nyo po para tayo ay makapag imbestiga at matigil natin ang ganitong mga practices (We advise the public that if you see people jumping the line or skipping the line for vaccinations, you can call the DOH hotline or regional offices so that we can investigate and stop such practices),” said Vergeire.
The public may call the DOH’s Complaint and Action Unit Hotline at 8651-7800 local 2527.
Meanwhile, the DOH spokesperson said that they do not have details yet about vaccine wastage.
“There is an investigation being done sa isang region natin kung saan may issue on transportation ng bakuna. Ating iniimbestigahan ito (There is an investigation being done in one of our regions where there is an issue on transportation of the vaccines. We are investigating this). I cannot give other details at this point because of the ongoing investigation,” she said.