ECQ won’t impede vaccination rollout: NTF

MANILA – It will be vaccination as usual in the National Capital Region (NCR) even if it is under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) on Aug. 6 to 20.

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Chief Implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19, assured Thursday there will be no delays or stoppage of the vaccination drive.

“Huwag tayong magpanic dahil during ECQ, mas magiging aggressive tayo in our vaccine rollout (Don’t panic because we will be more aggressive in our vaccine rollout during ECQ). Magparehistro at sundin ang (Sign up and follow) proper processing because the vaccination program will continue,” Galvez said in a statement.

NCR and nearby provinces Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, and Rizal will be allocated with additional six million doses this month, Galvez assured.

About 22.7 million doses, donated and procured by the government and private sector, are slated to be delivered this month.

As of Wednesday, the Philippines has already administered 22,488,705 doses, with over 10.2 million fully vaccinated.

The most restrictive quarantine classification is part of the government’s “preemptive” measures to protect the country’s health care system and medical workers amid the pandemic, made worse by the hypertransmissible Delta variant.

“This is one of our anticipatory efforts dahil ayaw nating matulad sa ibang mga bansang kasalukuyang nakikipaglaban sa Delta variant. Hindi natin hihintayin na ma-overwhelm ang ating health care workers at sabihan tayo na hindi na nila kaya (This is one of our anticipatory efforts because we don’t want to replicate other countries’ fight against Delta variant. We will not wait for our health care system to become overwhelmed and tell us that they can do it anymore),” he said.

He said the government must prepare for the worst and act fast to protect the people against emerging coronavirus variants.

“In order to save the last quarter, kailangan natin ng sakripisyo ngayon (we need to sacrifice now),” Galvez said, while emphasizing that the Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treatment-Reintegration-Vaccination strategy will drastically reduce Covid-19 cases.