Task force shares recommendations to speed up COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Task Force T3, a coalition consolidating the business sector’s COVID-19 response initiatives, have shared their recommendations to accelerate the government’s vaccination program.

In a statement, the Task Force T3 said the acceleration of the jab rate is especially important outside the National Capital Region (NCR).

The task force said this would be possible owing to growing number of vaccine deliveries, “resulting from the relentless efforts of vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez with the strong support of the private sector in procuring vaccine doses via the tripartite agreements.”

Other measures that the private sector groups within T3 proposed include ensuring that the policies to open up vaccination to the general population and vaccinating 12 to 17 year olds are implemented across all regions and that booster shots be implemented immediately starting with healthcare workers. 

Last month, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the vaccination for the general population as well as minors starting this October. 

The government began inoculating adolescents aged 15 to 17 years old against COVID-19 on October 15, the first day of the vaccine rollout for that age group with comorbidities.

At least 1,151 adolescents received their first dose of a vaccine. 

“For all of these, the mindset from scarcity of supply to sufficiency is key and embracing a simultaneous approach for all sectors over a sequential mode by sector,” the Task Force T3 said.

“There should continue to be priority lanes for A1 to A4 individuals,” it said.

Members of the task force also appealed for flexibility to administer the doses for 12 to 17 years old and for boosters among their employees at the soonest possible time as they expressed concern over expiration of the supply they procured.

Another recommendation is for the government to spread to provincial local government units (LGUs) the processes and practices employed by NCR LGUs, who have successfully achieved vaccination coverage of close to 80% fully vaccinated of the adult population. 

To reinforce the importance of vaccination and increase demand, the T3 also proposed vaccine incentives for the fully vaccinated, allowing more mobility and unrestricted access to restaurants, gyms, tourism and other establishments and all forms of public transportation, as well as at airports and seaports. 

More mobility among the fully vaccinated can happen and restrictions can be removed or eased because this supports the move to re-open the economy safely, it said.

The T3 underscored the importance of vaccination for healthcare workers, school employees and students, as well as transportation and government workers.

The task force is optimistic that with increased vaccination rates, the focus can shift from lockdowns to a faster reopening of the economy. 

“For NCR and other highly vaccinated areas, reopening public transportation and schools was also proposed,” it said.

They also called for the exertion of all efforts to reach Alert Level 2 in NCR by early November. — VBL, GMA News