NTF to go to Basilan, other BARMM areas to speed up vax drive — adviser

The National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 will go to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to increase the COVID-19 vaccination drive in the region, a government adviser said Wednesday.

At a Laging Handa briefing, NTF medical adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa said NTF Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier announced they will visit the BARMM to identify why the vaccination progress is still low in those areas and encourage residents there to get the COVID-19 jab.

“[Marami-rami] na [rin] ang ating mga lalawigan na umabot sa 70% vaccination rate of their target, ‘yun ang good news. Of course, may mga lugar na mababa pa. Siyempre, titignan natin at aaanalisa kung pano natin mapapabilis pa at mabibigyan ng bakuna ang ating mamamayan doon,” Herbosa said.

[The good news is many of our provinces have already reached the 70% vaccination rate of their target. Of course, there are areas that still have low vaccination rates, but we will look at them and determine how we can speed up the vaccination of the people there.]

While many areas have reached their target of 70% vaccinated population, Herbosa said they will still analyze how to speed up the inoculation drive in places with low vaccination rate, particularly in the Mindanao region.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Sunday pointed out that the vaccination rate is lowest in BARMM among all regions in the country, thus it will be the government’s focus during the extension of the third wave of its mass vaccination drive.

The Bayanihan, Bakunahan III, originally scheduled from February 10 to 11, was extended to February 18.

Herbosa said that one of the problem he sees why the inoculation is low in the Mindanao region is that communities there are having doubts that the vaccines are halal or lawful.

“Nag-announce na ang national commission ng Muslim affairs na aprubado naman ‘to at hindi haram ang ating mga bakuna at wala namang galing sa mga animals. Most of the vaccines we got come from plant products, so hindi siya totoo na haram siya,” he explained.

[The National Commission of Muslim Affairs has announced that the vaccines are approved, that they are not haram, and that they did not come from animals. Most of the vaccines we got come from plant products, so it's not true that they are haram.]

“Ang sabi ng ating mga Muslim leaders, basta for public good, ‘yan ay halal,” he added.

(Our Muslim leaders say that as long as it is used for public good, that is halal.)

To convince the Muslim community to get the jab, Herbosa said the government’s communication and information campaign need to be amped up in BARMM just like what was done in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Another obstacle that he noted was that the vaccination sites in these areas are not as accessible to the public as they are in Metro Manila.

“Gagawan natin ng solusyon ‘yan. Magkakaron ng paraan para mapalapit natin lalo ‘yung mga vaccination centers. ‘Yung ibang probinsya nga, naggawa na ng tinatawag na barangay by barangay na ang kanilang pagbabakuna para dalhin ang bakuna talaga malapit sa ating mga kababayan,” he said.

[We will work out a solution to that. We will find a way to get the vaccination centers closer to the people. The other provinces have already done it through barangays that have brought the vaccines closer to the people.]

Cold chain transportation

Further, Herbosa said that they also see the transportation of the vaccines in far areas as a challenge as some brands need to be in cold chain storage.

“Because of that, hindi mo agad ma-deploy sa mga remote areas and you have to be…’yung parang ‘yung supply chain management mo kailangan precise para walang masasayang na mga bakuna,” he said.

[Because of that, we can’t immediately deploy the vaccines in remote areas and we have to ensure that the supply chain management is precise so that there are no wasted vaccines.]

“Very important na na ma-maintain ‘yung ating cold chain habang ang mga bakuna ay dine-deliver sa mga malalayong lugar ng ating mga kababayan sa Mindanao,” he added.

[It is very important to maintain the cold chain while the vaccines are delivered to the remote areas in Mindanao.]

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday accepted a 38 cold chain transportation vehicles donation from the Korean International Cooperation Authority (KOICA) and Korean Embassy to augment the country’s cold chain management of COVID-19 vaccines.

This donation was part of the Korean government’s $2.5 million assistance to the Philippines which aims to provide cold chain capacity-building for DOH’s supply chain officers.

Aside from the vehicles, the Korean government also provided assistance for the construction of a molecular laboratory and isolation facility in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental. The Republic of Korea has also previously provided donations of walk-through testing booths and testing kits.

“The 34 refrigerated vans and 4 service vehicles will help the country’s National Vaccination Program and further improve cold chain management of COVID-19 vaccines in the regions,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a statement.

“We are very grateful to our friends from Korea for their tireless effort and generosity in helping more Filipinos get vaccinated. This cooperation is a testament that we are not safe anywhere until we are safe everywhere,” Duque added.

The said donated units will be deployed to the various regions of the country through the DOH Centers for Health Development.

On Wednesday, the Philippines recorded 2,671 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the country's total tally to 3,644,597. — RSJ, GMA News

[https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/821951/philippines-2-010-new-covid-19-cases-lowest-daily-tally-this-year/story/]