Nakatakdang bumuo ng iba’t-ibang task group ang Department of Health (DOH) para mangasiwa sa implementasyon ng programa sa pagtuturok ng COVID-19 vaccine sa mga Pilipino.
Pahayag ito ng ahensya sa gitna ng hindi pa rin mawala na takot ng publiko sa bakuna, dahil sa kontrobersya ng Dengvaxia.
“Ilan sa deliverables ng task groups ay pagsiguro na yung public ay regularly informed,” ani Dr. Beverlo Ho, director ng Health Promotion Bureau sa isang media forum.
Aminado ang Health department na malaki ang ipinagbago ng vaccination landscape ng bansa mula nang pumutok ang issue ng dengue vaccine.
Ayon kay Health Sec. Francisco Duque, kinailangan nilang magpatupad ng “supplemental immunization activities” noong 2018 at 2019 dahil sa mababang rate ng pagbabakuna kontra measles.
Napagtagumpayan naman daw ito ng ahensya. Katunayan, dumami ang magulang na nagpabakuna ng kanilang mga anak.
“That was coupled with our effective information, education, communications campaign about the safety, efficacy, quality, and free provision of vaccines,” ani Duque.
“But of course yung COVID-19, people are fearful bringing their children to health centers and this also somehow affected the coverage. Bumaba nitong 2020.”
Mangunguna sa pagtugon ang Task Group on Demand Generation and Communication, na pamumunuan ng Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) at Philippine Information Agency (PIA).
Sa ilalim naman ng COVID-19 Immunization Program, iba’t-ibang sub-task groups din para sa pagpa-plano, polisiya at technical support, registry, data management, at implementation.
Ang Food and Drug Administration (FDA) naman ang hahawak sa sub-task group on safety surveillance.
“The work in terms of vaccine clinical trials has already begun, still way back in September, and we’ve also use this (media forum) platform to make sure that our other agencies are able to share their information,” ani Dr. Ho.
“More of the comprehensive plan will be roll out this month until the entire next year.”
