CHR urges gov’t to ensure equal access COVID-19 vaccine for all

MANILA, Philippines — As several cities got the first dibs on the COVID-19 vaccine, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said on Saturday that the national government must make sure that all Filipinos have equal access to the vaccine to protect the public’s health.

“The national government’s vaccine distribution initiative must ensure the rapid, coordinated and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all Filipinos wherever they may be residing in the country. An effective national vaccine rollout means a vaccine is made available to one living in urban Manila in about the same time to one recipient based in Sulu,” said CHR Commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel Gana.

Several highly resourced cities have secured vaccine doses for their residents after entering tripartite deals with British Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca and the national government. Quezon City and Manila have secured 1.1 million and 800,000 doses, respectively, while Baguio City has locked in 380,000 doses.

The CHR said there could be local governments that had a number of cases but had limited resources to obtain the much-needed vaccines. This is where the national government must step in, said the CHR, “to maintain a balanced access to the COVID-19 vaccine.”

It added that an equitable vaccination rollout would promote the health of the population given the contagious nature of the disease.

An efficient and comprehensive inoculation program must be implemented, the CHR said, so every citizen will be “accorded the right to a standard of living adequate for one’s health and well-being.”