Private companies and members of government agencies continue to urge everyone to have themselves vaccinated when they get the chance especially since orders of vaccine doses made by the private sector have yet to be received.
Dr. Napoleon Arevalo, member of the Health Department’s Field and Coordination team, said on Tuesday that herd immunity can be achieved faster if more Filipinos will get inoculated which could help in the recovery of the economy.
“Yung mga A4 category, ito na yung mga susunod because we would also like to preserve our economy, maka-bounce back tayo at maibalik natin unti unti ang ating pagawa at ang ating ekonomiya ay unti unting bumalik,” Arevalo said.
George Barcelon, Employers Confederation of the Philippines vice president, likewise emphasized that the majority of the population must be inoculated against COVID-19 for the country to recover. To express their support, many companies have made tripartite agreements with vaccine manufacturers and the government, he added.
“The private sector has been asked many times, but we don’t have the answers. We are still waiting on the availability of Astrazeneca where it’s a fifty-fifty share. 50 percent goes to the government while 50 percent goes to the private sector,” he noted.
Arevalo also identified challenges in the Philippines’ vaccination program, citing data management as one of them.
He also highlighted the need to educate health workers at the barangay level to counter misinformation spreading on social media.
“Ang sinasabi po nating mga undesirable side effects which are generally mild, and these subside weekly even with medication… kaya kailangan maintensify natin ang vaccination drive so that the public is well informed on possible side effects,” said Arevalo.
