Malls, gyms to be used as vaccination centers
MALLS and gymnasiums will be utilized as vaccination sites in an effort to expedite the inoculation of more people against the deadly coronavirus disease, the nation’s vaccine czar said.
“We will designate mega vaccination centers like malls and the different arenas and gymnasiums,” vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Wednesday.
He said 25,000 to 50,000 additional vaccinators were needed to “accelerate” the rollout of Covid-19 jabs.
Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, however, admitted that the department was still facing problems in hiring additional health care personnel.
“Napakalaking challenge po ng human resources (Handling human resources is a big challenge),” she said.
To date, almost 1.36 million Filipinos have been vaccinated against Covid-19, according to data presented by Galvez.
The vaccine czar said over 200,000 health care workers, who belong to the A1 priority group, have already received their second doses.
Meanwhile, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday urged the government to accelerate the construction of quarantine centers and field hospitals to ease the burden on the country’s health care system.
The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said using schools as isolation facilities — or evacuation centers in times of natural disasters — was not sustainable and would not foster a culture of safety in the basic education system.
He pointed out that before the pandemic, the prolonged use of school facilities in times of disasters tended to delay the resumption of classes.
According to Gatchalian, in other countries, field hospitals are installed to strengthen health care systems’ capacity in managing Covid-19 cases.
Thailand recently announced plans to put up 10,000 field hospital beds following a new surge of Covid-19 infections. Last year, up to 13,000 patients were treated in 16 temporary hospitals in Wuhan, China, which used to be the global epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last year, the senator cited that Valenzuela City also put up centralized isolation facilities at the Balai Banyuhay and Valenzuela Astrodome, which have modular tents and military cots for patient use. Balai Banyuhay is a drug rehabilitation and treatment facility in the city.
“The speedy establishment of field hospitals and quarantine centers is one way of providing immediate attention to our countrymen who are ill. Instead of the usual practice of utilizing schools as isolation facilities or evacuation centers, what we should ensure is the establishment of sufficient and the right facilities for those who are in need of medical attention,” Gatchalian said in Filipino.
The lawmaker also pitched anew his proposal to build an evacuation center in every city and municipality in the country, which is the objective of Senate Bill 747 filed in 2019.
Under the proposed measure, these evacuation centers will provide temporary accommodation for people who have been evacuated or displaced from their homes due to emergencies, including the outbreak of illnesses and diseases.