The Department of Health (DOH) has urged the local government units (LGUs) to limit the working hours of healthcare workers manning the vaccination sites in order to allow them to have enough rest.

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire made the statement amid a video circulating on social media that a healthcare worker had failed to properly administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We can do administrative protocols like let's limit the time of our healthcare workers to just specific to eight hours,” said Vergeire in an online forum on Tuesday, June 29.

“Magkaroon tayo ng rotation para nakakapagpahinga at nagkakaroon ng lesser mistake ang ating healthcare worker (Let's have a rotation so that our healthcare worker can rest and have less mistake),” she added.

There should also be strict monitoring in the vaccination sites, said Vergeire.

“There should be overseers or supervisors within each vaccination site--- going around and trying to monitor and observe kung ano ang nangyayari sa bawat stations sa pagbabakuna (what is happening at each vaccination station),” she said.

The DOH spokesperson, however, reminded the medical workers to be cautious and aware of their own health.

“Kailangan lagi tayong aware, cautious, diligent tayo sa pagsunod sa ating mga protocols. Dapat aware din kayo sa estado ng inyong katawan (We must always be aware, cautious, and diligent in following our protocols. You should also be aware of the state of your body),” she said.

Meanwhile, the public can also ask the healthcare worker to let them check the syringe before injecting it to them, said Vergeire.

“Kung gusto nyong siguraduhin, maari naman hingin doon sa nagbabakuna na makita niyo yung hiringgilya bago ipasok sa inyo, at makita niyo pagkatapos kayo ay bakunahan (If you want to be sure, you can ask the vaccinator to see the syringe first before it is inserted into you, and to see it after you have been vaccinated),” she said.

Vergeire also asked the public to be more understanding on what had happened in the vaccination site in Makati that has since gone viral in social media.

“Sinabi na ni Mayor Abi (Binay) that this is a human error. Hinihiling lang po namin sa lahat ay pang-unawa sa ating mga healthcare workers na alam natin na matagal na silang nagkakaroon ng ganitong serbisyo (Mayor Abi (Binay) has already said that this is a human error. We just ask everyone to understand our healthcare workers since we know that they are doing this service for a long time)---- from the start. And they are doing work Monday to Sunday and eight hours or more in a day,” said Vergeire.

“But this does not also justify whatever happened because talaga namang hindi tama yung nangyari. Pero ang sinasabi namin, nagpapasalamat kami sa nagpapadala ng videos na ganito dahil nakikita namin yung mga gaps sa ating proseso and therefore, we can improve on this processes (But this does not also justify whatever happened because what really happened was not right. But what we are saying, we are grateful to those who send videos like this because we see the gaps in our operations and therefore, we can improve on these processes),” she added.