1st, 3rd days of nat’l vax drive working holidays: NTF

MANILA – The National Covid-19 Vaccination Drive on November 29 and December 1 will be working days so as not to disrupt economic activities while the government ramps up vaccination against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The second day, November 30, is a regular non-working holiday to commemorate the birth of Andres Bonifacio, the Father of the Philippine Revolution. 

Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19, said workers will be allowed to go to vaccination sites without cut on their salaries.

“We also wanted to pick up some more on our economic recovery,” he said in an interview during the ceremonial booster vaccination at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City on Monday.

The NTF has already crafted the synchronization matrix and inoculation timeline for the implementation of the three-day vaccination drive, to be presented to President Rodrigo Duterte during the Talk to the People on Tuesday.

The government targets to fully inoculate at least 54 million Filipinos by the end of the year and up to 77 million by end of the first quarter next year, about 20 million more during the second quarter, and the remaining unvaccinated Filipinos by the third quarter.

Once the emergency use authorization (EUA) is released, Galvez said vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 years will commence most likely by the first quarter of 2022 while the inoculation of the 12-17 age bracket continues.

“We want to finish the boosters of health care workers as soon as possible, by end of November to December 15,” he added.

The government is also targeting to complete the administration of the third or booster doses for senior citizens and adults with comorbidities before the end of the year.

The provision of booster doses for government workers and other economic front-liners, who received their primary doses from March to May, may start next year.

“For our vaccinees in March, April May, we will see if we can make it by mid-December or maybe early January. But definitely, our government and economic workers will be ahead of the general population,” said Galvez.

Vaccine recipients from July to December will be given booster shots also by next year.

“So that’s our plan so that it won’t relapse and make sure that the chain of protection will be there. It will be done in phases as recommended by the vaccine experts panel,” Galvez said.