THE Department of Health (DOH) has announced that COVID-19 vaccine recipients may no longer choose the brand of the jabs they will receive, and this can be done by not announcing it beforehand. Local government units (LGUs) which are at the forefront of vaccine distribution and inoculation have been advised to comply.
The new vaccine rollout policy was taken to prevent the massing of people wanting a particular brand of vaccine, creating a melee. It was reported that hundreds of people wanting to be inoculated with the vaccine made by the US firm Pfizer BioNTech trooped to Parañaque City, creating near-stampede problems for the handlers.
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje announced that henceforth, Filipinos will not get to choose which vaccine brand they would get. She said, “One strategy is we will no longer announce which brand of vaccine will be given. If you want to get inoculated, go to the facility and get the vaccine that is available.”
The Philippines has so far received doses of vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, the British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca Plc, Sinovac from China, and Sputnik V from Gamaleya of Russia. Frontline health workers who are exposed to the coronavirus every day were initially allowed to have first refusal of the Sinovac jab because it was established that it is insufficient for their use, but can be appropriate for ordinary individuals.
It is a relief that our health authorities are recognizing the problems of vaccine distribution, handling and use, and they have instituted the hiring or designation of vaccine safety or security officers for this special task.
Other experts also noticed that the jab line is slow because persons with high blood pressure had to be checked after inoculation, while regular recipients wait in line. They proposed that a special lane be made for those with high blood pressure and other comorbidities, a simple but sensible solution.
However extensive our preparations are in this activity, there will always be unexpected problems that will surface because everybody is a first-timer in the campaign to fight a pandemic, especially one with this magnitude.
The important thing is that we remain open to innovate and act accordingly whenever new challenges rise.
