MOCK VACCINATION. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III does a simulated vaccine injection on Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque during their visit to a vaccination site inside the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City on Tuesday (Feb. 16, 2021). The Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic or CODE team visited the city to inspect and assess its preparedness for the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine deployment. (PNA photo by Che Palicte)
DAVAO CITY--Members of the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) team lauded the city's coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination preparedness during their visit here Tuesday.
The team--composed of National Task Force Covid-19 Response chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr., Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Dr. Francisco Duque III, and Cabinet Secretary Sec. Karlo Nograles gave a "high commendation" on the city's efforts to prepare for the vaccines' arrival.
CODE team members conducted a walkthrough at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) and A. Mabini Elementary School, both vaccination sites in the city.
Duque said the CODE team is keen on monitoring the local government units (LGU), especially their respective vaccination plans.
He also congratulated Mayor Sara Z. Duterte for her "depth orchestration" in formulating the city's vaccines' deployment and communication plan.
“We noticed the impressive preparations and simulations they showed, and all plans are clearly aligned with the national deployment in the grand vaccination plan. All elements are clearly laid out, we commend the leadership of Mayor Sara and to the SPMC for ensuring that the plan is crystal clear,” the DOH secretary said.
He added: “We’d like to thank Davao City for the numerous simulation on vaccination exercises. You execute it very well. We in the national government will ensure that the vaccination roll-out will be successful not only in Davao City but in the country as well."
Nograles also praised the conduct of various Covid-19 vaccine simulations in the city, which he said ensured proper handling of the vaccines.
“We thank Mayor Sara for all the preparation. My family is a living witness of the city government’s effort to fight Covid-19 when my mom became positive with mild symptoms. The testing is fast, the quarantine and even the contact tracing,” he said.
Nograles also underscored the importance of getting vaccinated as he commends the city for using the Safe Davao Quick Response (DQR) for the vaccination registration.
On the other hand, Secretary Galvez assured that the city would be allocated with the vaccines as soon as it arrives in the country between February and March of this month. He said that some 5.5 to 9.3 million doses from vaccine manufacturers Pfizer BioNTech and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals will be arriving in the first quarter of the year.
“We will priority first the Covid-19 dedicated public and private hospitals. We will try to allocate the population target of 800,000 in Davao City. Whatever vaccine which comes in for the first quarter, we will allocate equitably prioritizing the health care and vulnerable sector,” Galvez further added.
Meanwhile, Mayor Sara thanked the national vaccine cluster members and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for forming coordinative mechanisms for the deployment of the vaccines.
“Today’s visit is one that certainly a cause for hope. Here we are, a year after the initial entry into the country of a virus that has since killed the lives of 11,000 Filipinos. And now, we are finally awaiting the arrival of the vaccines,” she said.
Duterte hopes the impending arrival of the vaccines signals the beginning of the end of Covid-19 and would lead to the road social-economic recovery.
“We look forward to the roll-out of the vaccines, the inoculation of Dabawenyos, and the eventual achievements of herd immunity. We do not know when this pandemic will end; we are at least certain that soon we may finally see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she further added. (PNA)
