DOH supports mandatory COVID vaccination for select sectors

PHOTO/WILLIE LOMIBAO

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) supports the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for select sectors.

Despite government efforts to increase vaccine confidence, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday that some sectors are still hesitant to get inoculated against COVID-19.

She said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) is already discussing the proposed mandatory vaccination.

“One of the things we are looking at, because we will never achieve ‘yung immunity na kailangan ng population natin kung may mga sektor sa society natin na hindi mababakunahan, isa sa tinitingnan natin na paraan is to make it mandatory,” she said in a media forum.

(Because we will never achieve immunity for the population if some sectors aren’t vaccinated, one of the things we are looking at is to make vaccination mandatory.)

“’ Yan po ang pinag-aaralan natin sa ngayon (That is what we are studying) with IATF but definitely it we are going to have this parang mandated for specific sectors only, DOH will also support this because we need this so that we can achieve protection for the population,” she added.

Vergeire said the government’s discussion is about mandatory vaccination only for vulnerable sectors and those whose work involves constant interaction with people.

However, Vergeire said the DOH would heed the statement of the Department of Justice that mandatory vaccination needs a law.

She noted that mandatory vaccination is also the “last resort” of the government.

“Sinabi naman talaga na voluntary, specifically kasi EUA (emergency use authorization) lang tayo, pero meron din naman pong authority ang national government ukol dito. Pero kailangan talaga magkaroon ng batas, kailangan mapag-usapan,” said Vergeire.

(Vaccination is really voluntary, specifically because the current vaccines are still under EUA. But the national government also has authority about this. We need a law.)

“Pero ito, last resort naman ito ng government dahil gusto na po talaga nating ma-achieve ‘yung proteksyon ng populasyon. Government has that authority dahil nakikita natin na hindi natin ma-a-achieve ‘yung protection for the population if part of the population will not receive the vaccines,” she explained.

(But this is just the government’s last resort because we really want to achieve population protection. Government has that authority because we cannot reach population protection if part of the population will not receive the vaccines.)

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said he favors mandatory vaccination, noting that protection of the public against COVID-19 will only be achieved if the majority are vaccinated.

READ: Galvez now favors making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory