QC eyeing tieup with private sector in COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA)

MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City will allow the private sector to use the COVID-19 vaccines allocated by the national government, Mayor Joy Belmonte said Monday.

According to Belmonte, private companies can tap their own doctors and nurses in vaccinating their employees.

“When we entered into talks with the private sector—these are exploratory—we found out that a lot of these corporations have their own doctors, nurses, and while we are not yet vaccinating A4s, we are vaccinating until A3, eventually we will move to essential workers,” she said over ABS-CBN News Channel.

“We already talked with the private sector and said, you know what if we just give you the vaccines, we will supervise but you can use your doctors and nurses to vaccinate your A4 employees,” she added.

Based on the government’s prioritization for vaccination, A1 to A3 covers healthcare workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidity, while the A4 covers frontline personnel in essential sectors.

Belmonte said private firms were pleased with the LGU’s suggestion.

She added that companies will then have to return the same number of vaccine doses to the LGU once the vaccines they have procured arrive.

 (REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo)

“What we agreed upon with them is we will allow them to use some of the vaccines that the national government will give to us, but when they get their share they must return the share to us so we can use these vaccines to the regular population in our city, and I think that’s a good deal,” she added.

Belmonte said over 88,000 individuals have so far been vaccinated in Quezon City.

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