DOH orders vaccination sites to prepare substitution list for no-shows

The Department of Health (DOH) has ordered initial vaccination sites to prepare a “quick substitution list” in case vaccine recipients fail or refuse to show up on schedule, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Wednesday.

“Considering the fact that these vaccines are very valuable, so we do not want to have wastage dito po sa ating deployment program. So we already have this quick substitution list,” Vergeire said during a virtual briefing.

“Gusto natin, meron tayo at least 20%. Wala po tayong basehan sa 20% pero gusto lang po natin makasigurado na kung sakali dumating tayo doon sa day of vaccination and we will have refusals, at least we have this reserved 20%,” she added.

Vergeire said the DOH has yet to finalize guidelines on who are eligible to be part of the substitution list.

A survey by the OCTA Research group in December last year found that only 25% of people in Metro Manila, one of the country’s COVID-19 hotspots, were willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Another Pulse Asia poll showed that 47% of Filipino adults are not inclined to get inoculated, mostly due to safety concerns. 

The DOH said it would launch a massive information campaign to boost public trust in vaccines. 

The rollout of vaccines is expected this month. — RSJ, GMA News