Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. The same may soon be true for the government’s Covid-19 vaccination program.
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje on Wednesday said local government units should only disclose the brands of available Covid-19 vaccines after they were administered as a strategy to prevent Filipinos from being choosy.
In a “Laging Handa” briefing, Cabotaje said the strategy would help expedite the country’s vaccine rollout.
“One of the strategies that can be made is hindi na ia-announce kung anong bakuna ang ibibigay. So, kung gusto ninyong magpabakuna, pumunta kayo sa ganitong facility o kaya vaccination sites tapos kung ano iyong bakuna na available, iyon ang dapat na kunin nila,” she said.
Cabotaje said the move would also help prevent incidents of people flocking to vaccination sites for certain vaccine brands.
“Kasi nga dinagsa iyong Pfizer, kasi noong nag-announce na may Pfizer, everybody wanted to use Pfizer. In our general principle, kung anong bakuna ang available dapat kunin mo na, that will help the flow,” she said.
The Philippines has received 7.78 million Covid-19 vaccines from various sources.
Chinese Sinovac vaccines made up five million of the total number, while the Covax facility has provided the country with 2.55 million AstraZeneca doses and 193,050 Pfizer doses.
Russia has also delivered 30,000 Sputnik V doses.
Cabotaje urged Filipinos to register for Covid-19 vaccines and avail themselves of the doses as soon as possible.
“It’s very important that magpa-register sila, kunin iyong kanilang schedule, they show up during their schedule, tapos observe minimum public health standards,” she said.
More than three million Filipinos have been inoculated in the Philippines. John Ezekiel J. Hirro