DILG welcomes walk-ins at vax sites to speed-up vaccination rollout

Vice President Leni Robredo with Manila Mayor Isko Moreno oversees the drive-thru vaccination at the CCP Complex in Manila on Tuesday.– Marianne Bermudez

MANILA, Philippines — Any strategy that will help speed up the COVID-19 vaccination rollout such as walk-ins in jab sites, are welcome as long as minimum public health protocols are observed, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Wednesday.

DILG Assistant Secretary Odilon Pasaraba said the interior department, through a memorandum, encourages local chief executives to develop strategies to accelerate the vaccination program in their localities.

“Henceforth, any strategy na makakatulong (that would help in) sa national agency without offending our established health protocols and other essential protocols sa vaccination is a welcome strategy,” DILG Asec. Odilon Pasaraba said in the Laging Handa briefing on Wednesday.

Pasaraba was responding to a query on the DILG’s position on Manila’s walk-in policy after Mayor Isko Moreno again allowed walk-in vaccinees in all vaccination sites after seeing a low turnout of vaccine recipients who have appointments.

However, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is not encouraging walk-ins at COVID-19 vaccination sites as this would encourage more people to gather.

Instead, they advised local officials to implement substitution lists in cases where vaccinees with appointments will not show up.

As of June 21, Monday, the country has administered 8,407,342 doses which comprised 6,253,400 first doses, and 2,153,942 second doses. — Sofia Vertucio, trainee