(PNA) – The Department of Health (DOH) said house-to-house coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination is a “good strategy” to inoculate more people and to lessen the crowd in vaccination centers.
In a Laging Handa briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said local government units (LGUs) may proceed on these house-to-house visits if they have the resources.
“Unang-una, masisiguro natin na hindi magkukumpul-kumpol ang mga tao. Kung mayroon mang iikot hindi na kailangang pumunta pa ang mga kababayan natin sa isang lugar para doon mag-antay mabakunahan. Pangalawa, mas maganda kasi masusuyod natin ang bahay-bahay,” she said.
RELATED STORY: COVID-19 ‘virus load’ similar between vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals – study
“Maganda po iyang strategy na iyan if LGUs have the resources, maari po nating gawin iyan,” she added.
In Metro Manila, LGUs are targeting to inoculate between 180,000 to 200,000 individuals among all of the cities and the lone municipality in the region.
By doing this, Vergeire said the National Capital Region might be able to vaccinate 70 percent of its population by September.
“So ito po ay susuportahan naman ng ating national government at titingnan ho natin kung paano rin natin sila siyempre maga-guide on how we can better do this so that it can be something that can be used for us to protect our citizens from this Delta variant,” she said.
While the region will be placed under enhanced community quarantine from August 6 to 20, Vergeire assured that vaccination efforts will continue.
READ ON: DOH: At least 18 Delta variant cases were unvaccinated
“So, we will have safe vaccination sites. Itutuloy pa rin natin at actually itataas po natin ang bilang ng dapat mabakunahan para po agad-agad tayo magkaroon ng protection laban sa mga variant,” she added.
Stricter community quarantine measures were put in place following the threat of the more infectious Delta variant, which has infected over 200 people in the Philippines.
Vergeire noted that the DOH cannot conclude yet that there is now a community transmission of the Delta variant pending enough evidence.
“Sa ngayon po, we have the local transmission kung saan nakikita pa po natin ang pagkaka-link ng bawat isang kaso na mayroon tayong genome sequence na positive sa isa’t isa,” she said.
“Darating po tayo diyan sa pagdideklara ng community transmission if we are able to provide evidence already that we cannot link these individuals to each other anymore at saka nakikita na natin na talagang kalat na iyong extent nitong variant na ito,” she added.
