THE Davao City Government is working on integrating the Safe Davao QR (DQR) code into the national online system to monitor patients who have been administered with a Covid-19 vaccine.
City Health Office Acting Head Dr. Ashley Lopez said in a radio interview on Wednesday, March 10, that the City Information Technology Center is currently processing the integration of the master list to the DQR through the Covid-19 Vaccine Information Management System-Immunization Registry (VIMS-IR) platform, introduced by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
"On process na ang integration sa national registry for Covid-19 [master list] (The integration of the national registry for Covid-19 master list is being processed)," Lopez said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
According to the Philippine National Covid-19 Vaccination Deployment Plan (PNCVDP), VIMS is “an electronic, confidential, and secure information system that will record all vaccination doses administered by participating providers to people residing within a given geopolitical area.”
The platform will also be used to assess local vaccination coverage levels or to assist during disease outbreaks, public health emergencies, or vaccine shortage situations to identify individuals in need of vaccination.
"The VIMS shall be used to ensure vaccine management and accountability, in tracking of vaccine safety issues, and in the evaluation of vaccine effectiveness," the PNCVDP states.
Lopez said that once the DQR will be integrated in the VIMS, it will be indicated if a certain person was vaccinated or not.
He said this is to determine the health status of the DQR holder.
"That's why, even in our borders nato sa atong checkpoint, DQR is still imposed kay diha mu-reflect kung nabakunahan na ka, or naa kay Covid[-19] or wala. So mahibaw-an na diha (even in our checkpoints at our borders, we are still imposing the DQR scanning because after scanning your code, they can see if you are vaccinated against Covid-19 or not)," he said.
Davao City Covid-19 Vaccination Program head Dr. Josephine Villafuerte, in a separate radio interview, also said being immunized might also serve as a "travel pass" in the future, especially those travelling abroad.
"So dili ka na mag-worry. Pagtan-aw sa imo QR, makita na (You don’t have to worry because it can be determined if you are vaccinated or not through scanning)," she said.
Once vaccinated, Villafuerte said it will automatically reflect in the system and that they will no longer have to secure a card or certification.
She said this is to avoid individuals producing falsified documents to prove that they have inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio revealed in a previous interview of the city’s plan to incorporate the DQR for the online registration for the Covid-19 vaccination.
Duterte-Carpio said they want to do away with the face-to-face registration, which could result in mass gathering and Covid-19 transmission.
"You will use your own DQR for that. It's the same account that you will use," the mayor said.