The Department of Health said Friday it would support mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for frontliners and vulnerable populations to speed up the delivery of jabs.
The DOH spokesperson, Usec. Rosario Vergeire said "we will never achieve the immunity required" if there are sectors that have yet to get jabbed. She cited vaccine hesitancy and brand preferences as among the challenges to the vaccination effort.
"If we are going to have mandated na for specific sectors only, DOH will also support this because we need this so that we can achieve 'yung protection for the population so that everybody gets protected from this disease," Vergeire said.
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The Philippines has fully vaccinated 27.5 million as of Nov. 2 or half the target of 50 million by the end of 2021. The original target was 70 million. The delivery of vaccines recently expanded to minors.
This November, government will mount a three-day "Vax to the Max" to vaccinate up to five million people by mobilizing the entire state machinery.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez earlier said he was in favor of mandatory vaccination, adding that inoculations could be tied to the distribution of 4Ps or conditional cash transfer.
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