‘Suntok sa buwan,’ Drilon says of gov’t COVID-19 immunization program

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Tuesday expressed misgivings on the national government's COVID-19 immunization plan for Filipinos after a Senate hearing was held to tackle it.

“Parang suntok sa buwan ang vaccination program lalo na 'yung sinasabi nila na 148 million doses within the year. The arrival of the vaccines is not even definite," Drilon said in a statement.

"How can they say that they will be able to purchase 148 million doses by the end of 2021 when up to now, we haven’t given any Emergency Use Authorization to any vaccine and we have not been able to raise, through loans, all the needed amount for the purchase of the vaccines?" he added.

On Monday, the executive officials in charge of the COVID-19 response faced senators to explain their plans for the immunization of Filipinos.

The government plans to inoculate 50 to 70 million individuals this year and that the earliest possible delivery of vaccines is on February 20, according to vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.

At least 50,000 is expected to be vaccinated against the novel disease next month, he added.

The Food and Drug Administration said it may release the result of the emergency use authorization application of Pfizer in a day or two, and that of AstraZeneca by mid-January.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, meanwhile, said over 4,000 fixed vaccination points had already been identified across the country.

He explained that the vaccination process will be composed of five stages: registration; pre-vaccination education and counselling; screening including medical history review; vaccination and issuance of immunization card; and post-vaccination monitoring and surveillance.

While the plan is good on paper, it is “filled with uncertainties and leaves too much to chance,” according to Drilon.

“I am not reassured in the slightest by what I heard. To be honest, I am more confused now. The government’s COVID-19 vaccination plan fails to provide the public the assurance they need from the government,” Drilon said.

Drilon was among the senators who questioned the national government’s supposed “monopoly” on COVID-19 vaccine procurement.

“They have a better chance of achieving their targets if they lift the restriction that they set that prevents local chief executives and the private sector from buying vaccines directly from the manufacturers,” he said. — RSJ, GMA News