With LGUs closing vaccination centers due to zero supply
Nancy to DOH, IATF: 'Release all remaining vaxx in govt facilities'
...says A4 vulnerable to more contagious variants

Senator Nancy Binay urged the Department of Health to fast track the release of all the COVID-19 vaccines in stock to help address the increased demand due to the A4 priority group.

"Ilarga na't i-release yung lahat ng vaccines na nasa government storage facilities. Sayang yung panahon kung paghihintayin pa natin ang mga tao hanggang next week. By then, baka tinubuan na ng mga dahon ang bakuna bago makarating sa centers. Clearly, there should be no excuses," she added.

Binay said she considers the closure of some inoculation centers in Metro Manila "unacceptable" because of the DOH's failure to deliver vaccines on time.

"As of this week, marami pang bakunang nakaimbak sa storage facilities ng DOH kaya parang ang hirap tanggapin na walang maibigay sa mga vaccination centers sa Maynila, Marikina at Antipolo. Habang mayroong di nailalabas sa warehouse at nakakarating sa tao ang bakuna, technically, it does not serve its intended purpose. May buhay na nakokompromiso," she noted.

To date, about 9.3 million vaccines are in stockpile; 8.6 million have been deployed; and more than 6 million have been administered, with still close to a million doses stored in government facilities.

"Meron pang 2 million doses ng Pfizer na darating bukas plus 1 million each ng Sputnik and Sinovac. Sana i-release kaagad at ilabas na ang mga bakuna ng DOH para mapakinabangan ito agad ng ating mga kababayan," Binay pointed out.

Many local executives claim that vaccines stored in the national government's facilities have yet to reach densely-populated cities and far-flung municipalities.

"Dapat nga lahat ng 1st dose vaccines ay nai-release na, at kung meron mang naiwan sa storage, yung mga 2nd dose na lang. Kung nag-decide man ang IATF na buksan na ang A4 category, dapat handa rin ang DOH to cover the necessary requirements tulad ng syringes at iba pang gamit," the senator added.

Government data show that there are approximately 13 million workers in Metro Manila and other areas in NCR Plus 8 who belong to the A4 category.

Another 22.5 million workers are in areas outside NCR Plus 8, bringing the total estimated number of workers to 35.5 million.

"Lahat naman tayo gustong maging maayos na at manumbalik na ang ekonomiya. If these vaccines remain stored in warehouses and do not reach the LGUs on time, not only will we be seeing a lot of empty tents and chairs--we are exposing a big percentage of our workforce to more contagious variants," Binay noted.