A House leader urged the inter-agency task force for emerging diseases (IATF) to allow private subdivisions or villages to do their own vaccination for their residents.
Deputy Majority Leader and Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo said this will ease congestion in most vaccination centers in Quezon City and other parts of Metro Manila.
Castelo noted the high acceptance of Filipinos to vaccination program of the administration.
“We are happy that many citizens are willing to get vaccinated despite some unresolved post-vaccination issues, but this problem of congestion is turning them away. They fear they might get the virus in the centers,” she said.
As of now, inoculation sites “are so overcrowded that if there is one asymptomatic person waiting to get his or her shot, he or she could become a super spreader
With approval and vaccine supply from the IATF, Castelo said homeowners’ associations would just be willing to undertake their own inoculation projects for their residents.
“I am sure that villages will not lack volunteer doctors, nurses and other health professionals who could help in the vaccination. They might even have excess volunteers who could assist adjoining villages,” she added.
She pointed out that her proposal, if adopted, would speed up the government’s vaccination program “especially when enough vaccines are available.”
“At present, the program is moving at a snail’s pace. Even if there is sufficient vaccine supply, the government would not be able to attain its goal of inoculating at least 70 million Filipinos and achieving herd immunity this year,” she stressed.
Castelo said allowing villages to vaccinate their homeowners and household members would mean fewer people going to existing vaccination centers.
