THE newly established Visayas Vaccine Command Center (VVCC) aims to coordinate efforts for the implementation of the national vaccination program.
Established through the joint efforts of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (Opav) and the Project Balik Buhay, the center aims to have a more cohesive implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination program in the three regions in the Visayas.
“This is part of our whole-of-nation approach in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. As we are awaiting the vaccine rollout in Cebu and the whole Visayas, this Command Center will serve as a centralized hub for the implementation of the government’s Vaccination Plan in our region,” Opav Assistant Secretary Anthony Gerard "Jonji" Gonzales said.
Gonzales will manage the Command Center which is located at the Oakridge Business Park in Mandaue City.
The establishment of the Command Center was announced during a press conference on Thursday by the Inter-Agency Task Force Visayas, Department of Health in Central Visayas and Opav.
DOH-Central Visayas Regional Director Dr. Jaime Bernadas thanked the Opav and partners in the business sector through the Project Balik Buhay for the establishment of the VVCC.
“This has been initiated by Opav Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino and our business partners in the private sector through the PBB,” Bernadas said during the press conference.
Gonzales explained that the Opav is closely working with the national government, through the guidance from President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Bong Go, who chairs the Senate Health Committee, to ensure the success of the vaccination rollout in the Visayas.
He also reiterated the urgent need for the economy to recover and people to live with the virus. He added that vaccination is a crucial step to this transition to the new normal.
“We must individually be responsible. We cannot anymore afford a lockdown. The economy is hurting. We have to support the vaccination program and continue to observe the minimum health protocols,” Gonzales said.
The Command Center will also conduct an information campaign to increase awareness of the importance of Covid vaccines in preventing further spread of the virus, he said.
The government aims to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the entire population to achieve herd immunity, thus, controlling the spread of Sars-CoV-2.
A recent survey found that only 47 percent of Filipinos were willing to be vaccinated.