Vaccinations to continue during Eleksyon 2022 –Dizon

COVID-19 vaccinations would continue during the May 2022 national and local elections, said Presidential Adviser for COVID-19 Response Vince Dizon on Tuesday.

“Hindi po tayo pwedeng huminto sa ating pagbabakuna. Tuloy tuloy ‘yan kahit sa kampanya, kahit sa eleksyon, tuloy tuloy po tayo,” Dizon said during a Laging Handa interview.

(We cannot stop with the vaccinations. These will continue even during the campaign and election periods.)

Dizon said that he would ensure that candidates for the upcoming elections would not use the vaccination campaign for their political agendas.

“Sisiguraduhin natin na hindi magagamit ang pagbabakuna sa pamumulitika. Neutral po ito at diretso tayo sa taong bayan,”

(We will make sure that the vaccination program will not be politicized. We are neutral and work directly with the public.)

On September 23, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said that the government aims to achieve the herd immunity target of 90% before Eleksyon 2022.

The government is targeting to get at least 54 million Filipinos fully vaccinated by the end of 2021.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and other concerned agencies are also preparing preventive measures to make the elections COVID-19-proof, and help protect poll watchers, volunteers, and voters in the May 9 poll.

Booster shots

Further, Dizon reiterated that the government was still prioritizing the initial booster shots of those who have reached the six-month requirement until next year.

The second booster round depended on the advice of the experts.

“Ngayon, kung kailan ang susunod na booster shot, hintayin na lang natin ang advice ng ating mga eksperto at igu-guide nila tayo at ng ating mga doktor para talagang masiguro na tuloy tuloy ang proteksyon natin hindi lang sa COVID-19 kundi sa lahat ng mga variant nito,” he said.

(Let us wait for the advice of the experts and the doctors regarding the next round of booster shots so we can ensure that our protection against COVID-19 and its variants is continuous.)

Galvez said on Monday that the government is looking into shortening the interval between booster shots and the primary dose series to between four to six months.

Starting December 3, the government started administering booster shots to all fully vaccinated adults after its pilot run with healthcare workers. — DVM, GMA News