VP offers 'mobile hubs' to LGUs before vaccine supplies expire

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday said they are offering their mobile testing hubs to local government units to avert the feared spoilage of unused COVID-19 vaccines that are due to expire in the next few months.

In her weekly radio program, she said the Office of the Vice President's Mobile Swab Cab -- that offers free antigen testing -- would be transformed into "vaccine hubs."

"'Yun yung aming inaasikaso. Ino-offer namin to anyone, lalo sa LGUs na nangangailangan ng tulong ngayon. Wala kaming supply ng vaccine, wala naman kami sariling allocation," Robredo said.

[We are offering our services to everyone, especially the LGUs, as we don't have our own vaccine supply.] 

Once the OVP acquires vaccine supplies, Robredo said, her team will go to public markets and other areas to vaccinate people who have no capability for online registration.

At the same time, she lamented the absence of vaccine allocation for the OVP.

But she suggested that the national COVID-19 immunization program be decentralized, citing the low average daily vaccination rate in the country.

"Suggestion ko i-decentralize na kasi tinitignan ko  numbers ng DOH sa vaccination, mabababa pa. Halimbawa by now dapat sana nagbabakuna tayo ng 120,000 a day sa NCR plus a day lumalabas ngayon parang ang average daily ay 60,000 plus pa lang."

She warned that the Philippines would able to achieve herd immunity after five and half years, or so, if the slow inoculation pace continues.

According to the National COVID-19 Vaccine Operations Center, 1.5 million AstraZeneca doses will expire on June 30 and 525,000 doses will expire by July 31.

Philippines so far has inoculated two million people, which is still far from its target of vaccinating 50 to 70 million by the end of 2021. —LBG, GMA News