The Department of Health is counting on the private sector to boost the country’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
“The priority now is our partnership with the private sector, wherein they will open their own massive vaccination sites. They will deploy their own healthcare workers and they will help us in the vaccination,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
Vergeire added that the DOH would deploy medical experts to address vaccine hesitancy which is evident on the recent SWS Survey.
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The survey revealed that only three out of ten Filipinos are willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the DOH official said the proposed 24/7 vaccination is not considered as a priority of the government.
“Hindi pa ‘yan nasa prayoridad ng mga strategies na gagawin natin ngayon. Ang priority natin ngayon is partnership with private sector kung saan magbubukas din sila ng malalaking vaccination sites,” Vergeire explained.
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“Maybe if we see that there are a lot of supplies and we need to further expand vaccination, that is when we would go to that strategy,” she added.
Vergeire said the Philippines has passed the crawl stage as daily Covid-19 vaccination rates has doubled to an average 108,000 doses from 60,000 to 70,000 doses in the past weeks.
She said the daily vaccination rate is expected to go up as bulk of COVID-19 vaccines procured is expected to arrive next month. (RA)
