‘Magre-recalibrate tayo:’ Duterte directs more vaccines to areas with high COVID cases

Iloilo City ramps up its vaccination drive amid a surge in COVID-19 infections and a shortage of hospital beds. —FILE PHOTO COURTESY OF OFFICE OF ILOILO CITY MAYOR

MANILA, Philippines — Areas under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) can expect more vaccines after President Rodrigo Duterte directed that those with high COVID-19 cases be prioritized in the distribution of jabs, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Tuesday.

“Pumayag na po siya (Duterte) na ang ipapa-prioritize nga po sa vaccine deployment in terms of the number ay yung mga areas na mataas ang bilang ng COVID-19 [cases]…’Yun ang pinakabagong direktiba ni Pangulong Duterte,” Nograles said in an interview over Teleradyo.

(He allowed the prioritization of the vaccine deployment in terms of numbers to areas with a high number of COVID-19 cases…That’s the new directive from President Duterte.)

“Dahil nagutos na si Pangulo na i-factor in po yung risk classification or kung gaano kalala yung bilang ng COVID [cases] do’n sa area na ‘yon e magre-recalibrate na po tayo,” he added.

(Because the President ordered to factor in the risk classification and the number of cases in the area, we will recalibrate our vaccine deployment.)

This means that areas placed under MECQ, the second most restrictive quarantine classification in the country, will receive more vaccines “as soon as possible,” according to Nograles.

“Yung mga naka-MECQ po ay magakakroon ng mas maraming doses nung bakuna dahil ifa-factor in na rin po natin yung risk classification nila dahil ito po yung area nila na mataas ang bilang ng COVID [cases],” he added.

(Those under the MECQ will receive more doses of vaccines because we will factor in the risk classification because these are the areas with a high number of COVID cases.)

“ASAP (as soon as possible) na po yan dahil directive po ni Pangulong Duterte kagabi,” Nograles said when asked when more vaccines will be deployed to MECQ areas.

(This will be done ASAP because that was the directive of President Duterte last night.)

“So magre-recalibrate na ngayon ang vaccine deployment task group, magre-recalibrate sila, ia-adjust namin. Tamang tama, dahil marami na ring bakunang dumating sa bansa lalung-lalo na ngayong buwan ng Hunyo,” he added.

(So our vaccine deployment group will recalibrate the distribution, we will make adjustments. It’s timely also because of the expected increase in the number of vaccine doses the country will be receiving this June.)

On Monday night, the President placed the following areas under the MECQ from June 16 to June 30:

• Santiago City
• Cagayan
• Apayao
• Ifugao
• Lucena City
• Bataan
• Puerto Princesa
• Naga City
• Iloilo City
• Iloilo
• Negros Oriental
• Zamboanga City
• Zamboanga Sibugay
• Zamboanga del Sur
• Zamboanga del Norte
• Cagayan de Oro City
• Davao City
• Butuan City, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands

JE