Metro Manila, other regions with high COVID cases to be prioritized
(Eagle News) – The Philippines aims to vaccinate 500,000 people a day or three million people in a week, according to vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
This is so the country would be able to achieve “herd immunity by November or even September.”
Galvez reported to President Rodrigo Duterte that they are already doing simulations in preparation for this, starting with the mayors of Metro Manila. At least eight of them have already joined the simulations, he said.
“Sinimulate (simulate) na nila na sinabi nila pagka naka 5,000 o 8,000 sila na everyday, makukuha nila ‘yong herd immunity by November pero kung i-increase nila ng ano — ng 8,000 to 10,000, mas ano po mas makukuha nila ‘yong herd immunity by September or even by October,” he said.
“So ganoon po maganda po ‘yong ano maganda po ‘yong simulation natin kasi actual po ‘yong mga simulation eh. So unang-una po, ‘yong target jabs per day. Kailangan po talaga magkaroon po tayo ng 500,000 jabs per day or tinatawag nating 3 million jabs per week,” Galvez explained.
-Targets set for Metro Manila; essential workers, poor communities to be included –
In Metro Manila, the target is to vaccinate 120,000 per day.
To achieve the target of 500,000 per day getting the vaccine, the supply of vaccine doses needed is 15 million per month. The vaccination target population already includes the essential workers or A4 category, and the poor of the indigent, considered as A5 category.
In Metro Manila, they need 3.3 million doses. Davao needs 450,000 doses per month; Cebu needs 350,000 doses a month; and Davao needs 400,000 doses a month.
At present, Metro Manila is able to vaccinate 60,000 to 70,000 people a day. This can still be scaled up to 120,000 a day, Galvez said.
The vaccine czar plans to hold a vaccine grand summit.
“Magkakaroon po tayo ng tinatawag na grand ano, ang tinatawag nating grand summit at titignan po natin talaga kung makakaya natin iyong ano ‘yong 120,000 a day,” he told Duterte.
They also calculated that 5,000 vaccination sites that will be able to administer at least 100 vaccine doses in a day to achieve the target of 500,000 doses a day. Mega-vaccination sites can administer as many as 2,000 doses a day. They’re also thinking of drive-thru vaccination sites that can give 10,000 doses a day.
What local government units want is the assurance that they will be given a steady supply of vaccines – double of what they are currently getting — to achieve this.
-25k to 50k vaccinators needed-
Now, the problem is the clinical staffing – those who will administer the jabs. Almost all health care workers are in hospitals, Galvez said. They need to recruit as many as 25,000 to 50,000 people to do this.
He said that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has now issued a directive to allow midwives, pharmacists, paramedics to be given training to administer vaccines. These would include those in the Philippine National Red Cross and medical students who are about to take their board exams.
-3 kinds of vaccination sites-
Mayors are also doing vaccinations using three kinds of site locations: in mega-vaccination sites, in hospital; and mobile vaccination sites in barangays, or thru zoning.
“Meaning ang zoning, iyong mga barangay na magkakalapit, doon po siya sa gitna at hinahatak niya po iyong mga ano iyong mga qualified na (mabakunahan) natin,” Galvez said.
“Iyong iba naman po is house-to-house especially po iyong mga ating mga elderly na hindi na po puwedeng pumunta po sa ano dahil because of the restriction na hindi po sila makalabas,” he said.
Galvez also cited what Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano is doing – converting a bus as a mobile vaccination site.
“So may mga ano po tayo mobile ano po tayo katulad po kay Mayor Lino. Mayroon siyang binili na mga bus na iyong mismong bus sir nandoon sir puwede siyang maging vaccination area po sir ‘yong bus. So kinonvert po ‘yong bus na maging vaccination area.”
Explaining his target to give 500,000 a day to President Duterte, he said that it is better aim high so even if they fail to meet the target, they can still hit the low-end of their goal.
“At nakita po sa simulation natin na kaya pong gawin, Mr. President. Hindi po imposible, kaya po natin. Mayroon tayong tinatawag na low target, mayroon din tayong high target. Pero dapat high target po tayo kasi pagka medyo bumagsak tayo, medyo nandoon pa rin tayo sa low,” he said.
Earlier, those critical of the Philippine vaccination rollout, particularly former National Task Force against COVID-19 adviser Dr. Tony Leachon, said that vaccination so far has been slow, and that it would take five years for the country to achieve herd immunity if things won’t speed up.
(Eagle News Service)
