Parañaque City implements ‘brand agnostic’ COVID-19 vaccination policy

The local government of Parañaque City rolls out the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for health workers, senior citizens and persons with comorbidities at a mall in Barangay Tambo, Parañaque City.  (Parañaque City Public Information Office)

MANILA, Philippines — Parañaque City is implementing the “brand agnostic” COVID-19 vaccination policy which prohibits the advance disclosure of the vaccine brand to be administered starting Friday, May 21, mayor Edwin Olivarez said.

The policy will be implemented in the city after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said local government units (LGUs) will no longer announce in advance the brand of vaccine to be given.

Instead, the brand will be disclosed to vaccinees on-site before inoculation.

“Ngayon pinapa-implement namin, hindi ina-announce ‘yung vaccine sa particular na vaccination center (We are implementing it now, we are no longer announcing the vaccine to be administered in a particular vaccination center),” Olivarez said in an interview on ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.

“Today po ‘yun, mula nang binaba ang directive ng ating DILG (That’s starting today since the DILG issued the directive),” he added.

Olivarez said more Paranaque residents signed up for a preferred COVID-19 vaccine brand.

“That’s what we are being careful of because our vaccination centers might become super spreaders instead of being of help if we do not limit the number of people in the sites,” Olivarez said in Filipino.

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