The vaccination campaign could be temporarily delayed in areas affected by inclement weather, National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 adviser Ted Herbosa said on Saturday.
In an interview with Super Radyo dzBB, Herbosa said they are monitoring the weather disturbance off Mindanao that could affect some areas of the country during the second round of the mass vaccination drive from December 15 to 17.
As of 3 a.m. Saturday, the low pressure area (LPA) was located 2,340 kilometers east of Mindanao, which is outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), weather bureau PAGASA said.
PAGASA said the LPA may develop into a tropical cyclone within 48 hours and will likely enter PAR on Tuesday. It will be given the name “Odette” once it enters PAR.
“In fact, may binabantayan kaming bagyo na baka pumasok sa PAR na sasabay doon sa ‘Bayanihan, Bakunahan’ so siyempre inaalagaan namin yung supply ng mga bakuna at kung mawalan ng kuryente roon eh maging problema pa yung cold storage,” Herbosa said.
(In fact, we are monitoring a potential tropical cyclone that may enter PAR coinciding with the ‘Bayanihan, Bakunahan.’ Of course, we need to take care of the supply of vaccines, and if there is a power outage there, cold storage will be a problem.)
“Baka ihold namin para magprepara muna tayo para maprotektahan yung mga bakuna. Pangalawa, syempre yung safety ng mga gustong magpabakuna, kung baha yan or malakas ang ulan eh syempre dapat ihinto yung pagpapabakuna sa mga lugar na tatamaan at dadaanan nung bagyo,” he added.
(Maybe we will put it on hold to protect the vaccines. Second, we have to ensure the safety of those who want to get vaccinated. Vaccination must, of course, be halted in places that will be hit and passed by the typhoon especially if there is flooding or heavy rain.)
Herbosa also said it is important to fully vaccinate seven million individuals during the second round amid the threat posed by the new Omicron COVID-19 variant.
The Philippines was able to inoculate 10.2 million individuals during the first round from November 29 to December 3. — VBL, GMA News
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