All of us are eagerly awaiting the promised arrival and ultimate rollout of vaccines in the next few months, as we get closer and closer to the anniversary of our initial quarantine. With all of this talk of vaccines and how it’s all going to go down, the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) has recently revealed Pasig City to be a model city in fighting the virus, with the first approved vaccine plan among all LGUs in the country.

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto made the exciting announcement on the afternoon of January 26 on his Twitter account, after presenting their plan to the Vaccination CODE Team with members of the Department of Health (DOH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), as well as the Vaccine Czar and Testing Czar.

The 31-year-old mayor and his team presented a comprehensive plan on how the LGU intends to prioritize recipients, a floor plan for vaccination sites, team compositions, and other Pasig City innovations. With a total of 48 slides, it was a thorough proposal that provided all the details for its vaccination plan, and was then approved by the DOH, WHO, and the CODE team, consequently. The whole presentation was later shared to the public through this link.

Other LGUs have also been required by the DILG to get an approved vaccine plan before receiving their share of the national government’s vaccine stock. In a statement issued by the DILG, the department stated the following concerns that should be included in the LGUS’ vaccine plan:

  • the preparation of risk communication plans and conduct of early Vaccine Communication Campaign to disseminate critical information on COVID-19 vaccination;
  • a master list of priority eligible vaccine population;
  • identification of possible vaccine centers with available cold chain storages, and other logistical requirements;
  • and a master list of existing human resources and personnel needed in the vaccination program.

DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya stressed the importance of approving a thorough vaccination plan for all LGUs, citing the urgency of the situation and the stakes in place, “This COVID-19 vaccination will be the biggest of such program sa ating kasaysayan kaya ating hinihikayat ang mga LGU na ihanda na ang kanilang mga vaccination plan for we need this to be as smooth as possible sapagkat buhay ng ating mga mamamayan ang nakasalalay dito,” he said.

Although there hasn’t been any news on when the pilot rollout of vaccines would be executed, the national government is hoping to start the program by the end of February, as Testing Czar Vince Dizon stated in the Kapihan sa Manila Bay with Marichu Villanueva live chat last January 20.

As the DILG encourages other LGUs to follow suit with their own vaccination plans, the rest of the country also patiently (..and sometimes impatiently, too) awaits the full dispatch of vaccines across all our islands, while on the other end of the spectrum, qualms and fear of receiving the vaccines also persist.

As vaccines are the ultimate key to our long-awaited freedom, it remains to be the most vital and challenging part of the pandemic yet. We can only hope that our national vaccination program would be a success, with safety and efficiency its top-most priorities.