Gov't looking at how to accommodate walk-ins at vaccination sites —Nograles

As the government gears up for the second round of Bayanihan, Bakunahan national vaccination days in mid-December, acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said Saturday that authorities are looking at how they can further improve the systems at vaccination sites such as accommodating walk-ins.

“Siguro isa sa mga nakikita natin na puwede pa improve is doon sa mga walk-ins dahil siyempre sa kanya-kanyang mga LGUs [local government units] may mga walk-ins na kailangan ma-accommodate natin,” Nograles said in an interview on Dobol B TV.

(One of the things we can improve is the system for walk-ins because in every LGU there are walk-ins we need to accommodate.)

The Palace official said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is planning to set up another round of vaccination days from December 15 to 17 in a bid to reach the government’s target of inoculating 54 million Filipinos before the end of the year.

The government conducted the first round of the Bayanihan Bakunahan  nationwide vaccination drive from November 29 to December 3. A total of 9,937,827 individuals were vaccinated as the government extended the Bayanihan Bakunahan to December 3, the Department of Health said Saturday.

Nograles said the government has yet to set a new target of how many it is aiming to inoculate during the second round of vaccination days, but improvements will be made to encourage more to be vaccinated.

“Improvements like accommodating walk-ins… pakiusap lang namin magkaroon ng sistema for walk-ins (our appeal is to have a system for walk-in),” he said.

“Pangalawa, although isolated, meron pa rin brand preference ang ating mga kababayan. Kaya kailangan paulit-ulit nating banggitin at i-remind ang lahat na wala na dapat ang brand preference. Kung anong meron diyan, lahat ng mga vaccines natin ay safe and effective para sa lahat,” the Palace official said.

(Second, although isolated, there is still brand preference among Filipinos. That’s why we are continuously reminding them that there shouldn’t be a brand preference. The vaccines that we have are all safe and effective for all.)

House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Saturday said the vaccination campaign is "showing clear signs of success as the number of infections falling significantly in the past weeks."

In a statement, Velasco encouraged Filipinos to "take the offer of a vaccination, especially during the second run of the 'Bayanihan, Bakunahan' on Dec. 15 to 17." —KG, GMA News