Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire
MANILA – Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire will head the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) as the government transitions to a new administration.
In an online media forum, Vergeire confirmed that she was assigned to replace NVOC chair Myrna Cabotaje.
The NVOC is mandated to ensure the proper storage, inventory and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines and develop appropriate guidelines for the national vaccination program against Covid-19.
"Pero siyempre po kapag pumasok 'yung bagong administrasyon maaari pa rin ho magbago 'yan. Pero sa ngayon po na naibigay sa atin 'yung assignment, of course, unang-una gusto ho natin pasalamatan si (That could still change when the new administration takes over. But for now, that assignment was given to me, of course, first of all I would like to thank) Usec. Myrna, under of course, the leadership of Secretary Duque, for all her efforts and excellent way of leading our National Vaccination Operations Center where in we were able to achieve 70 plus million of our Filipino population have been vaccinated," she said.
Vergeire said NVOC's achievements under Cabotaje are a "big feat to follow through" but she is committed to continue on with the work.
She added that all strategies are in place and implementing units have been mobilized when the NVOC started under Cabotaje.
She plans to increase the vaccination rate in areas with low inoculation turn out and engage in more discussions to generate more demand for boosters.
"We're looking at a different type of vaccine, a reformulated one para po kung saka-sakali, makita po natin kung paano po maipapatupad dito sa ating bansa (so we could study how it can be administered here in our country)," she said. (PNA)
