Bong Go urges gov't to intensify inoculation efforts in communities as gov't kicks off vaccination for minors and general public

Following the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte to open the COVID-19 vaccination to the general population, including minors, this October, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go appealed to government authorities, in coordination with local government units, to ensure the efficient distribution of doses to its constituents to ensure that more Filipinos are protected against the virus.

"Tuluy-tuloy po itong pagbabakuna natin. Nakikiusap po ako sa ating mga LGUs na makipagtulungan upang siguraduhin maiturok agad ang mga bakuna. Ang importante po ay walang masayang na bakuna, walang masayang na oras, walang masayang na minuto, walang masayang na araw," said Go.

"Susi po ito upang mabilis nating makamit ang inaasam nating population protection at herd immunity para maging mas masaya ang ating Pasko ngayong taon at dahan-dahan tayong makabalik sa normal na pamumuhay," he added.

Go also asked officials to look into the possibility of giving incentives to fully vaccinated Filipinos in order to encourage others to join the vaccination program.

"Pag-aralan rin po dapat nang mabuti ang pagbibigay ng insentibo sa mga bakunado, tulad ng mas maluwag na mga patakaran. Maaaring pwede na sila kumain at pumasyal sa labas, magtrabaho, at gumalaw ng wala masyadong restrictions," he said.

"Para rin po ma-enganyo at tumaas ang vaccine confidence. 'Yung mga pribadong sektor, may sarili ring mga inisyatibo, tulad ng pagbibigay ng discounts. Welcome po ang lahat ng ito," he added.

According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, President Duterte approved the proposal of chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. to inoculate the general public, including minors, to ramp up the government's fight against COVID-19.

Roque mentioned that the government will start rolling out vaccines to minors, aged 12 to 17, on October 15 under a "phased approach" based on the recommendation of the National Vaccination Operations Center. Furthermore, Roque said minors will be inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines that are available for emergency use.

Based on the "phased approach," vaccination shall prioritize dependents of health care workers and children with comorbidities which shall be categorized under the A1 and A3 priority groups, respectively. The inoculation program beyond this group would follow once adequate coverage within the said groups have been achieved.

He then advised parents of minors to be guided accordingly in cooperation with the government to include their children in the master list for COVID-19 vaccination.

"Ang good news po, inaprubahan na po ni Presidente ang pagbabakuna sa general population simula po sa buwan ng Oktubre," Roque said in a press briefing.

"At magsisimula na rin po ang ating pagbabakuna ng ating mga kabataan pero ang ating hinihikayat ngayon ay magpa-masterlisting na po ang mga magulang ng mga kabataan," Roque added

So far, the government has administered jabs to individuals included in the previously approved priority list, such as healthcare workers, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, essential workers, and indigents.

Senator Go reassured that there are sufficient vaccines to administer to the general population. Likewise, he cited that more supplies of doses are anticipated to arrive this month.

As of October 3, the government has successfully given 46.38 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Filipinos. Out of these numbers, 24.58 million individuals received their first doses while 21.8 million are fully vaccinated.

As Chair of Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go has successfully pushed to include various groups in the vaccine priority list, including athletes competing in the Tokyo Olympics, Overseas Filipino Workers and Professional Regulation Commission personnel handling the licensure examinations.

"Tulad ng aking sinasabi noon, bakuna muna bago pulitika! Unahin nating malampasan ang pandemya para mabigyan ng tunay na pag-asa ang ating mga kababayan dahil kung hindi natin malalampasan ang krisis na ito, baka wala na tayong pulitikang pag-uusapan pa," Go reiterated.