The employers sector in the Cordillera were among those briefed on the Covid-19 vaccination prog-ram of the national government in a bid to instill awareness and boost confidence on the immunization efforts to shield the population from the infectious disease.
Around 50 members of the tripartite industrial peace council and industrial tripartite council of the region joined a webinar detailing the national vaccination plan, which includes the policies, types of vaccines available, and prioritization of eligible populations to be vaccinated.
The webinar last March 25 was conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment in coordination and partnership with the Department of Health to raise awareness and boost the level of confidence and uptake on Covid-19 vaccines.
It focused on the medical aspect of the vaccination, featured discussions on the review of vaccines and evidence and summary of vaccines available, the vaccine selection and approval process, vaccine trial, and deployment plan.
The Cordillera so far has close to 18,000 healthcare workers vaccinated with Sinovac and Astrazeneca as of March 23 since the vaccination rollout started on March 4.
Dr. Aleli Annie Grace Sudiacal, field implementation and coordination team director III of the DOH, discussed the country’s strategic plan for Covid-19 vaccination and particularly explained the vaccination deployment plan and that priority populations for vaccinations were identified based on the World Health Organization strategic advisory group of experts on immunization values framework for the allocation and prioritization of Covid-19 vaccination and reviewed by the national immunization and technical advisory group.
Other resource persons were from the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases on the review of vaccines and evidence summary of vaccines available, the Department of Science and Technology on the vaccine selection process and WHO solidarity vaccine trials; Food and Drug Administration on the vaccine approval process; and the DOH on communication cascade or motivating the public to understand and get the vaccine.
The DOH aims to provide equitable access to Covid-19 immunization services to priority groups or at most, 50 to 70 million Filipinos if with enough global supply by 2021, to increase demand for vaccination services through capacity and confidence building measures, to ensure safety in the immunization program and provide support to patients with adverse reactions; and to institute governance, regulatory, financing, and performance accountability measures for Covid-19 immunization.
Another webinar series was held for the labor sector on March 26. – Hanna C. Lacsamana
April 18, 2024
