Filipinos 'might all die waiting' for vaccine sans innovative steps in pandemic response —Lacson

Filipinos "might all die waiting" to be vaccinated against COVID-19 if the government will not implement drastic and innovative steps in its pandemic response, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Thursday.

In a tweet, Lacson enumerated the loans that several international banks have approved for the Philippines, as well as the budget of the Department of Health under the Bayanihan Law, to aid its COVID-19 response which, according to him, has already swelled to P126.75 billion.

"I doubt if our health authorities have a sound analysis and assessment why the sudden spike in COVID cases. The thing is, how can we have a solution when we don’t know the cause of the problem?" he said in a separate statement.

"Unless some drastic and innovative steps are undertaken, we might all die waiting," he added.

Lacson lamented how concerned government agencies seem to be dragging their feet on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

This, even as the Department of Finance tapped international banks ahead of time in anticipation of the "crowding" for loans, he said.

"Even the private sector and eventually the LGUs, not having the patience to wait for government action, took it upon themselves to procure vaccines for their employees, even offering 50% of their vaccine purchases to the government," Lacson said.

"Instead of treating them as partners and assisting them, the government regulated and controlled everything by requiring them to go through government procurement, or else," he added.

The Philippines began its COVID-19 vaccination program on March 1 after the arrival of 600,000 doses of donated Sinovac vaccines from China, which was immediately followed by 487,000 doses of vaccine from AstraZeneca.

On March 7, another batch of 38,400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in the country.

The said vaccines from AstraZeneca are part of the supply allocated to the Philippines by the global vaccine-sharing COVAX scheme.

President Rodrigo Duterte last month signed  the Vaccination Program Act of 2021 that would expedite the rollout of the country's vaccination program against COVID-19.

Under the law, the DOH and the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) are authorized to undertake negotiated procurement of COVID-19 vaccines as well as the ancillary supplies and services for their storage, transport, and distribution.

The indemnity fund will be used to compensate individuals inoculated through COVID-19 vaccination program who will experience any adverse effects.

The law also allows local government units to purchase COVID-19 vaccines and ancillary supplies and services in cooperation with the DOH and NTF through multiparty agreements. —KBK, GMA News