“Bayanihan Bakunahan” target revised to 9 million for 3-day campaign; 2nd round set on Dec. 15 to 17
(Eagle News) – Malacanang advised Filipinos nationwide to take advantage of the three-day “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” national vaccination drive which started on Monday, November 29, amid the threat of the highly infectious Omicron Covid-19 variant.
Acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Alexei Nograles said that getting fully vaccinated is important to protect against the severe form of Covid-19. At least nine million are targeted for vaccination in this first leg of the national vaccination drive.
The second round of the national vaccination drive will be conducted from December 15 to 17.
“Napaka-importante ng pagbababakuna ngayon. Let’s take advantage of these three days of national vaccination to protect ourselves and to protect our family,” he said in a press briefing on Monday, Nov. 29.
But Nograles said that it is also equally important to follow the minimum public health standards of wearing of face masks, frequent handwashing, maintaining social distancing, avoiding crowded areas without proper ventilation, and of course getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Mask, hugas, iwas at bakuna,” he said.
The target of the three-day vaccination drive has been revised from 15 million to 9 million doses due to lack of ancillary supplies, such as syringes for Pfizer vaccines. Those eligible for vaccination are adults aged 18 years and above, and minors aged 12 to 17 years. Minors should be accompanied by their parents or guardians, and should have their IDs, and birth certificates with them.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, November 24, already signed Proclamation No. 1253 declaring November 29 to December 1 as National COVID-19 Vaccination Days.
“Any employee or worker, both in the government and private sector, who gets vaccinated on those days will not be considered absent from work provided that they show proof of vaccination to their employees,” the National Task Force against COVID-19 said.
The Department of Health (DOH) called on the public to support that the national vaccination days “by either volunteering at their LGUs or encouraging unvaccinated friends and family to register.”
The Philippines has set another “Bayanihan Bakunahan” drive on Dec. 15 to 17.
“At least now, based sa ating press statement galing sa National Task Force at sa NVOC, iyong nine million is the target for the first three days. And the target for the next three days, on December 15 to 17, will be set po after natin matapos itong first round,” according to Dr. Beverly Ho, Director of the Health Promotion Bureau at Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, of the DOH.
“Siyempre kung malaking-malaki ang nakuha natin this first round, mas mababa po iyong kakailanganin nating target doon sa second round,” she said in a Laging Handa press briefing last week.
This three-day vaccination campaign is focused on scaling up the inoculation rate of local government units for the first vaccine dose by covering up to 70% of their target populations, according to the NTF.
A total of 11,000 vaccination sites and 160,000 volunteers are expected to be activated and mobilized for the nationwide undertaking, it said.
The second leg of the vaccination from December 15 to 17 will focus on reaching the target of 54 million fully vaccinated Filipinos by year-end.
(Eagle News Service)
