Ipinag-utos ng Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) sa lahat ng local government units na huwag ianunsiyo ang brand ng COVID-19 vaccine na gagamitin sa vaccination
Kasunod ito ng rekomendasyon ng Department of Health (DOH).
Ayon kay DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, lahat ng FDA-approved vaccines ay dumaan sa masusing approval process kaya tiyak na lahat ito ay ligtas at epektibo.
“The best vaccine is the one that is available; therefore in order to overcome brand preference, LGUs should not announce the brand of vaccine to be used in vaccination centers,” pahayag nito.
Itinutulak aniya na maabot ang herd immunity bansa kaya dapat magpaturok na ang publiko kung anong bakuna ang available.
“Given that every single day of delay increases the risk of covid transmission or infection, it is imperative the people get vaccinated immediately using the available vaccine,” saad ni Año.
Paliwanag nito, kahit hindi iaanunsiyo ng LGU ang gagamiting bakuna, bibigyan pa rin ng impormasyon ang mga indibidwal na naka-schedule sa vaccination ukol sa vaccine brand on-site.
“The person will be informed of the brand in the vaccination center and he will have to give his informed consent but if he refuses, he will have to go back to the back of the line,” dagdag ng kalihim.
“We need to educate the people in order to overcome brand preference. All FDA-approved vaccines are just Emergency Use Authorization. They are all similarly situated,” pahayag ni Año at giit pa nito, “Our health experts have repeatedly said that there is none that is more effective than the other. All of them prevent hospitalization or critical illness from Covid. That is what is important.”
Hinikayat naman nito ang publiko na suportahan ang vaccination program ng gobyerno.