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PH nat’l Covid-19 vaccination day eyed

By Lade Jean Kabagani

November 4, 2021, 4:57 pm

<p><em>(PNA photo by Joey Razon)</em></p>

(PNA photo by Joey Razon)

MANILA – Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Thursday said the government is set to hold a National Covid-19 Vaccination Day this month.

Galvez, chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19, said all available healthcare workers would be tapped as vaccinators for the event.

"All the agencies, the military, government agencies, the private sector will also pull in their resources [on that day]," he said in an interview over ABS-CBN News channel.

He said the event would be carried out "more likely within three consecutive days."

Galvez said the Philippine Medical Association had recommended converting some schools into vaccination sites for the event, likening it to holding elections.

"Pagka nandun na po 'yung momentum, naka-deploy na ang ating mga resources and personnel--mas madali po natin na ma-excute iyon within three days (It would be executed easily within three days if the momentum was there, the resources and personnel deployed)," Galvez said.

The initiative is part of the government's target to inoculate 1 to 1.5 million individuals daily so that the country will soon achieve population protection against Covid-19 before the year ends.

The current average daily vaccination rate in the last seven days stood at 551,642 doses.

Galvez said the move would also help capacitate the local government units, particularly those at the barangay levels to hold a unifying activity such as the vaccination drive.

"Ang gagawin natin talaga (What we will do is that), basically to train, and also to mobilize and acclimatize the municipalities, considering that we are lacking knowledge on how to hold a massive mobilization inoculation," he said.

The Philippines has so far administered a total of 61,354,945 doses nationwide, with 28,198,294 Filipinos now fully vaccinated. (PNA)

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