The vaccination drive in the country should not be denied to anyone, even the private armed group members, as they could also be a cause of COVID-19 infections, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Thursday.
Duque issued his statement while explaining the plans of the government to ramp up the vaccination drive in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) where several armed groups are believed to be located.
“For us, honestly, we choose no one in our vaccination, as long as they are Filipino,” Duque said, when asked on how the government would respond in case members of the Abu Sayyaf or the New People’s Army fall in line to get vaccinated.
“You shouldn’t deny them the vaccine because they could also be sources of infection if you don’t cover them,” Duque said.
President Rodrigo Duterte in January said that spare COVID-19 vaccines could be given to NPA members so they can get protection against the viral disease.
“If there are spare [vaccines]. Only if there are spare [items]. You cannot be prioritized because you are enemies of the government,” Duterte said during the second part of the President’s Talk to the People aired January 25.
In response, Communist Party of the Philippines chief information officer Marco Valbuena said Duterete’s “fiendish and fascist mindset” was revealed in this statement as he is using the medical service as a “weapon of war.”
Valbuena admitted that a huge number of the NPA remained unvaccinated against COVID-19 as the vaccination centers are far and they do not have the money for travel.
Duterte also earlier requested the nurses among communist rebels to help increase the country’s health workforce during the pandemic.
Duque said government troops, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, could help in bringing the vaccines in BARMM as there are still areas there infested with NPA and other armed groups.
He allayed concerns regarding the security threat to the vaccinations who will be deployed in BARMM, saying that the law enforcers have made adjustments to ensure their safety.
“We really need to plan this well. But our law enforcement agencies already know what to do to ensure that the vaccines are safe and the
vaccination drive itself will not be put in peril,” he said.
The Department of Health said on Wednesday the government was looking to provide aid in exchange for residents getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in BARMM.
The government is planning to fully vaccinate 77 million Filipinos against COVID-19 by the end of March, and 90 million by the time
Duterte steps down from office on June 30.
Meanwhile, the government plans to conduct the fourth wave of the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” national vaccination drive in March, prioritizing children and senior citizens, Duque said.
“Next month, in March, you can be assured that we will have a national vaccination day 4. We will prioritize the vaccination among the senior citizens and the pediatric age group of 5 to 17,” he said.
Duque said they would increase efforts for the vaccination of the primary series for those who are not yet vaccinated, and the booster shots for those who have completed the three to six month requirement.
The government fell short of the five million target of the Bayanihan, Bakunahan III national vaccination drive that ran from February 10 to
18.
Around 3.5 million individuals were inoculated against COVID-19 by the end of this initiative.