COVID-19 vaccine line jumpers in QC to face punishments –Belmonte

Non-frontliners found jumping the COVID-19 vaccine line and city health workers who accommodated persons not included in the vaccination priority groups in Quezon City will face “severe” punishments, Mayor Joy Belmonte warned on Saturday.

The mayor made the statement after she noted the allegations posted on social media claiming some individuals who are not considered in the government’s vaccine rollout priority group got inoculated by city health workers.

“We will look into all of these allegations. If proven, we won’t let them get away with this. Gagawin namin ang lahat upang matiyak na sila’y mapatawan ng parusa para matuto,” Belmonte said.

(We will do everything to ensure that they will be punished and taught a lesson.)

She urged the city health workers to strictly observe the national government’s guidelines on the administration of COVID-19 vaccines and follow the order of priority.

Non-adherence to the vaccination guidelines set on the priority groups may compromise the vaccine supply for the health workers, Belmonte explained.

Those involved in the “undue and premature administration of vaccines” shall face administrative and criminal charges and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, according to City Legal Officer Attorney Orlando Casimiro.

He cited violations of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and Republic Act No. 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act as charges that may be filed against those who will jump the line and the city health workers who administered the vaccines.

Show-cause orders from the local government await QC employees who will be involved in any vaccine line jumping incident, Casimiro said.

Meanwhile, complaints against police officers who will jump the line may be filed with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the People’s Law Enforcement Board.

On the other hand, Dr. Esperanza Anita Escaño-Arias, head of the QC Health Department, said they are strictly observing the priority list set by the national government.

She said intensive screening by health officers will be performed on-site to make sure that those who will get the COVID-19 vaccines are part of the prioritized sector.

Walk-ins in vaccination sites are also not allowed and those included in the prioritized groups should pre-register and wait for their schedules, Arias said.

As of Friday, show-cause orders against 12 mayors and a councilor are expected to be issued by the DILG to demand explanations over their inoculation ahead of the prioritized sectors.

If the violations were confirmed, DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said the DILG will forward the complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman to decide on the sanctions that will be imposed on the mayors.

Based on the prioritization list set by the national government, the vaccination rollout in the country will start with frontline health workers, followed by indigent senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, remaining senior citizens, remaining indigent population, and uniformed personnel. — DVM, GMA News