INDIVIDUALS who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 will face arrest, an exasperated President Rodrigo Duterte threatened on Monday evening, June 21, 2021.
“Itong mga g*** na ayaw magpabakuna (These stupid people who refuse to be vaccinated) and they are really the carriers if they can travel from one place to another, carrying the virus and then contaminating other people. Kayong ayaw magpabakuna, ipabakuna ko ‘yong itong sa bakuna ng baboy, ‘yong Ivermectin (Those of you who refuse vaccination, I’ll have them vaccinate you with that vaccine for pigs, Ivermectin),” Duterte said in a televised public address.
“There is a crisis being faced in this country. There is a national emergency. Kung ayaw mong magpabakuna, ipaaresto kita. At ang bakuna ay itusok ko sa puwet mo (If you will refuse to be vaccinated, I’ll have you arrested and I’ll jab you with vaccine on your butt),” he added.
Duterte said he may order barangay officials to list down those who are eligible for vaccination but refuse to be vaccinated.
“Kung hindi kayo magpabakuna, umalis kayo sa Pilipinas (If you don’t want to be vaccinated, leave the Philippines). Go to India if you want or somewhere, to America. But for as long as you are here and you are a human being, and can carry the virus, eh magpabakuna ka (get vaccinated),” Duterte said.
In his report to Duterte, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said 2,153,942 individuals have been fully vaccinated out of 6,253,400 persons who have received one dose since the inoculations started on March 1.
Of those fully vaccinated, 1,067,630 are from priority group A1 (healthcare workers, mayors, governors), 553,527 from A2 (senior citizens), 524,699 from A3 (persons with comorbidities and 8,086 from A4 (essential workers who need to go out to work).
Some local government units have started the inoculation of A5, or indigent Filipinos, with 67,185 getting their first dose.
A total of 8,407,342 doses, both for first dose and second dose, have been administered.
Meanwhile, Department of Health (DOH) 7 Director Jaime Bernadas said on Tuesday, June 22, vaccination centers may accommodate walk-ins as quick substitution for vaccinees who will not show up during their scheduled vaccination date.
“We are not discouraging walk-ins because those who can get into the vaccination area should always be attended to in the day because, you know, convenience will always be our priority for those who need the vaccines,” Bernadas said.
Vaccination posts also need to accomplish their targets for the day, he added.
Van Philip Baton, DOH 7 medical program coordinator for infectious disease, explained that the number of vaccinees is crucial for vaccines that contain multiple doses per vial such as AstraZeneca which has 10 doses per vial and Pfizer with six doses per vial which have to be consumed within hours.
Slow turnout
Central Visayas has been lagging behind in the vaccination of senior citizens (A2 priority) as only 96,188 or 17.5 percent of the 549,444 masterlisted senior citizens have been inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine as of Monday, June 21.
Of the senior citizens who already received their first dose, 24,449 are fully vaccinated or have completed two doses of the vaccines.
“We hope our senior citizens will be more active in terms of registering themselves and our LGUs (local government units) will be more sensitive to the needs of our senior citizens, especially in accommodation,” Baton said.
He said mobile vaccinations are allowed for senior citizens who have problems in going out of their homes or those who are bedridden, but are eligible to be vaccinated.
Meanwhile, 84.9 percent or 112,266 healthcare workers in the region have received their first jab of the vaccine with 76,161 of the number receiving the complete two doses.
As to individuals with comorbidities, the DOH 7 has vaccinated 104,652 or about 65.2 percent of its target vaccinees.
Of the number, only 16,220 had been fully vaccinated.
“The reason for this delay is that AstraZeneca (vaccine) has a very long interval in the first and the second dose at around 12 weeks,” Baton explained.
Baton revealed there had been reports of Sinovac (15 doses) and AstraZeneca (30 doses) vaccines that had gone to waste in the region.
Bernadas called on the eligible public to register online and schedule their vaccination.
Pfizer
In Cebu City, Councilor Dave Tumulak, overall coordinator of the city’s vaccine sites, said 10,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were rolled out as first doses within just five days.
Tumulak said droves of people flocked to the vaccination sites in UC-Banilad, UC-Sambag-I and Robinsons Galleria after it was announced that the Pfizer vaccine had arrived.
Because of this, Cebu City has suspended the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine starting Wednesday, June 23, to prioritize those getting their second dose. (WBS / PAC)