Quarantine facilities to become vaccination hubs

THE government is considering converting some quarantine facilities into vaccination sites or evacuations centers as the country prepares to transition into a new normal, a Cabinet official said on Tuesday.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) testing czar Vivencio Dizon said they were coordinating with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the local government units for the possible conversion of quarantine facilities into vaccination centers or evacuation sites.

“Pinabantayan natin ang mga kaso pero pwede nating gamitin either as additional vacciantion centers or ‘pag natapos na ‘yun at nakalampas na tayo sa pandemiyang hinaharap natin eh pwede silang gamiting mga evacuation centers (We are still monitoring the Covid-19 cases in the country but we can use our quarantine facilities as additional vaccination centers or if this pandemic ended, we can possibly use these facilities as evacution centers),”Dizon said during a virtual press briefing.

“Pero hindi muna natin ginagawa ‘yun dahil naghahanda pa rin tayo in case na may pagtaas sa mga kaso. So mabuting handa tayo (But for now we will not implement it yet because we are also preparing just in case our Covid-19 cases surge. So, it is better to be prepared),” he added.

For the month of March, areas under general community quarantine are Metro Manila, Baguio City, Davao City, Batangas, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Tacloban City, Iligan City and Lanao del Sur.