Gov’t addressing gaps in access, pace of COVID vaccination, Palace assures

A health worker in Zambales prepares to inoculate a senior citizen against COVID-19. (Photo courtesy of Subic Municipal Health Office)

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday assured that the government is working to improve access and boost the pace of its COVID-19 vaccination drive to soon achieve population protection against the disease.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made this assurance after a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that 29 percent of Filipinos do not have access to COVID-19 vaccination sites and 50 percent think the inoculation pace is “slow.”

“While much have been achieved since we began, we recognize that much more needs to be done,” Roque said in a statement.

“To improve access to and pace of vaccination, we are addressing vaccine supplies by procuring more vaccines, increasing personnel or vaccinators by considering pharmacists and medical interns/underboard, and having barangay health centers as vaccination sites,” he added.

Roque said the government is also collaborating with local government units and the private sector to make vaccination accessible by putting up sites in malls, conducting drive-thru vaccination and house-to-house vaccination for the elderly and other vulnerable sectors.

“Rest assured that we will not rest until we achieve population protection, for no one is safe, as the President underscored, until all of us are safe,” Roque said.

The same SWS survey also showed that 68 percent of Filipinos have access to vaccination sites.

Roque attributed this to the “combined hard work of the departments in the Executive, the local government units, and major stakeholders, including key private sector leaders who contributed in our national vaccination program.”

The government is aiming to vaccinate 50 to 70 million of the country’s population by year-end.

As of August 16, 12.5 million individuals have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the country.

JPV