Gov’t to focus its COVID vaccinations in schools, universities — Galvez

FILE PHOTO: National Task Force against Coronavirus Disease-2019 (NTF COVID-19) chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. PALACE FILE PHOTO / JOEY DALUMPINES

MANILA, Philippines — The government is planning to focus the COVID-19 vaccination program in schools and universities in a bid to expedite the reopening of in-person classes in the country, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Thursday.

During ANC’s Headstart, Galvez was asked about the government’s plan to ramp up the inoculations to one million to 1.5 million per day.

“Ngayon talaga ang gagawin natin, ‘yung concentration ng ating vaccination through universities at saka mga schools kasi ang plano natin ngayon, target natin ngayon ‘yung mga adolescent natin at saka mga students kasi we want to open the face-to-face immediately,” Galvez pointed out, saying they will coordinate with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education.

(Our plan is to concentrate the vaccination through schools and universities because we target to immunize students and adolescents as we want to open face-to-face classes immediately.)

On November 15, 100 public schools will participate in the country’s pilot run of face-to-face classes since it was suspended during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Galvez said that they are also seeking the help of the military and police on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to far-flung areas in the country.

“Actually, ang kulang lang natin ‘yung deployment ‘yung mobilization from the regional and provincial kasi ang nakita natin, nai-stuck ‘yung vaccine doon sa regional at saka sa provincial because of the lack of the deployment capacity including vehicles,” the czar said.

(Actually, what we lack is the mobilization from the regional and provincial because we observe that the vaccines are stuck because of the lack of the deployment capacity including vehicles.)

“So, we need the mobility and mobilization capacity of the service personnel,” he added.

According to Galvez, the country’s medical associations and pediatric society are currently being mobilized for the COVID-19 immunization program.

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