More harm than good? Gordon urges govt to review ‘no vax, no ride’ policy
PHILIPPINE Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Senator Richard J. Gordon appealed to the Duterte administration on Wednesday to carefully study the implementation of its “no vaccination, no ride” policy, stressing that the rule may do more harm than good and may be perceived as anti-poor.
Gordon said that the move denying the unvaccinated from using public transportation, though conservative, “could further impoverish those who are allergic or have no access to vaccinations.”
“The restrictions of mobility may be thought of as harsh. Since it is important that we open up the economy, we cannot prevent freedom of movement, especially that of the poor who strongly depend on public transportation to get vaccinated, go to work, or purchase goods,” Gordon said.
The first challenge, he said, is ensuring that all Philippine residents are vaccinated.
The PRC chairman cited that in a country of 110 million Filipinos, only 55 million have been vaccinated. Of the remaining population, 33 million are ineligible children, thus leaving 22 million still needing inoculation.
If it took more than 10 months to vaccinate 55 million people since March 2021, Gordon pointed out, and it may take at least another five months to vaccinate the remaining 22 million.
He added that the second challenge is providing vaccinations to those who have little access to “Bakuna” centers due to transport, mobility, or medical issues.
“The third challenge is assuring an uncorrupted database of all those who have been vaccinated. Already, there is talk of unvaccinated people producing their own fake vaccination cards,” he said.
Instead, Gordon proposed that the government implement a three-step program to address these challenges to keep everyone safe, yet not curtail their freedom of movement.
1. 100 percent vaccination—work with the Department of Trade and Industry and local government units to visit workplaces, schools, churches, neighborhoods, subdivisions, and other institutions to find out who have not been vaccinated and why. If it is due to lack of access or other mobility issues, the government can ask the Philippine Red Cross Bakuna Buses or other agencies to complete inoculation by bringing the service to the people.
2. Proper documentation—the government should ensure that the vaccination database is clean. A nationwide QR database can be used on mobile phones like those used for contract tracing. An individual who cannot be inoculated due to medical reasons can secure a medical certificate and register with the local government unit which will issue an official certification. Reasons other than medical can be validated.
3. Implementation of health protocols —Everyone should be required to wear a well-fitted high quality mask that covers the nose to the chin. If someone does not have a mask, the government may give free or subsidized masks. The government should also continue to educate the population regarding physical distancing and frequent hand washing, and implement the same in all public places.
Gordon asserted that the key is prevention.
He also stressed the importance of testing even when one is fully vaccinated. Although 97 percent of cases are mild and asymptomatic, the 3 percent who may have vaccine failure or poor immunity need to be protected.
He stressed that testing should be conducted regularly and when there are symptoms just to be certain we don’t become spreaders to the unvaccinated especially the vulnerable children and seniors.
He said that there are many testing centers to choose from, but as they become busy, resulting in delayed release of results or discouraging those afraid of crowds, home testing such as saliva or antigen tests can be encouraged.
The PRC is also offering the most affordable RT-PCR swab tests, and can provide an alternative lower-priced RTPCR saliva test which is also available for home service.