INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año yesterday told mayors nationwide to adjust their COVID-19 vaccination operations as he said some vaccination centers are in flooded areas where people are exposed to rains.
He noted the vaccination sites were established during the dry season.
Año, a key member of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), said local chief executives should also address the problem of long lines caused by people showing up too early in vaccination sites so they will be entertained first.
In the past days during monsoon rains, people lined up in flooded streets to wait for their turn to be vaccinated.
“Nagkaroon ng bagyo, monsoon rains so dapat talaga mag-adjust din ang ating mga LGUs sa kanilang mga vaccination sites (We had a typhoon, monsoon rains so the LGUs really have to adjust their vaccination sites),” said Año.
He said officials will just create another problem if they vaccinate people to prevent them from getting COVID but expose them to rains, which can make them sick.
On long lines, he said the “window time” for the vaccination schedule should be clear
He also cited the problem of people showing up despite not having registered for vaccination.
Asked if he is advising the mayors against walk-in vaccination, Año said: “That depends on the LGUs… so case to case basis .” He noted some LGUs have large vaccination sites and enough vaccine doses to entertain walk-in vaccination.
But as much as possible, the people should know what time they can will be vaccinated to avoid crowding,” he said.
Año instructions followed President Duterte’s order on Saturday night for local government units (LGUs) to come up with an acceptable way of administering the vaccines as he criticized local officials for making residents line up under the rain in flooded vaccination sites while waiting for their turn to get vaccinated.
The President, during a meeting of the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on Saturday night, issued the directive after National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. reported that there is no letup in the administration of vaccines — night or day time, rain or shine — and showed a picture of people lining up for the vaccine in submerged areas. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
