Gov’t urged to be ready for mass immunization vs coronavirus

MANILA, Philippines — As early as now, the government should prepare a plan for mass immunization once a vaccine for the new coronavirus is developed and made available, a lawmaker advocating elderly rights said over the weekend.

“Daig ng maagap ang masipag (Punctuality beats diligence),” Senior Citizen Rep. Francisco Datol said in pushing a “national action plan” for vaccination against COVID-19 targeting vulnerable populations, especially the aged and sickly.

“While scientists develop the vaccines, the prudent course of action for us now is to prepare for how to systematically vaccinate every person who must be vaccinated, anticipating every possible protocol for the types of vaccine which may be developed,” the congressman said in a statement on Sunday.

Datol said the government should also launch a campaign to remove the public’s lingering stigma over vaccination due to the controversy over the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

“I also ask all the controversial figures involved in the Dengvaxia scare to please inhibit from muddling the COVID-19 vaccination program. I urge restraint,” he said.

“Vaccination is a life-saving necessity. It is the only way to protect every person from COVID-19 and from all the other diseases for which there already are vaccines. The goal must be 100 percent vaccination. Failure to achieve 100 percent vaccination is not an option,” he added.

Datol noted that clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines were underway under the auspices of the World Health Organization.