THE Davao City government will be setting up a Covid-19 vaccination express lane for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) by August this year.
Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser said in a radio interview on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 that the express lane aims to address the concerns of OFWs whose employment abroad requires them to get full doses of Covid-19 vaccine.
"Mao nang next vaccination rollout nato kasi we are also looking into ilahang convenience kay naa man gyud mga OFWs na stuck sila, dili sila kagawas because wala pa sila na vaccine," Schlosser said.
(That will be our next vaccination rollout because we are looking into their convenience since some OFWs are stuck here and can't depart because they still haven't been vaccinated.)
She said the tentative schedule for this will be in the second or third week of August.
The official emphasized that the express lane will be strictly for OFWs only and no other priority sector will be catered to.
Schlosser said this is in response to some OFWs who have been required by their employers to be injected with specific Covid-19 vaccine brands.
"Ang atong mga seafarers, mismong sponsors nila like Marina, have sponsored a vaccine, katong Moderna, para lang gyud sa ilang seafarers (Our seafarers, their sponsors like Marina, have sponsored a vaccine, which is Moderna, for them). The reason why I'd like to confirm it, naay mga countries dili gina-recognize ang isa ka brand - Sinovac (some countries don't recognize one brand, which is Sinovac)" Schlosser added.
Most Covid-19 vaccines recognized abroad are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
However, she underscored Sinovac's efficacy to protect someone from severe symptoms of the coronavirus remains even if it is not recognized by some countries.
"I-emphasize lang pud nako nga dili nagapasabot nga iba imong brand dili naka-protected (I'd like to emphasize that it does not mean you have a different vaccine brand that you can't be protected). Whether it be Sinovac, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, or Pfizer, or Gamaleya, for that matter, ang tanan tumong gyud is protection against Covid-19 (they all aim to protect us against Covid-19)," she said, adding that OFWs and seafarers only have preferred brands because it is required by the countries of their destination.
According to the Davao City Vaccination Cluster data as of July 25, a total of 330,945 individuals were already vaccinated for the first dose, while 149,122 were jabbed for the second dose. This covers priority groups A1 (healthcare workers and others), A2 (senior citizens), A3 (persons with comorbidities), A4 (essential workers) and A5 (indigent population).
The local government continues to remind the public to have themselves vaccinated in order to achieve the targeted herd immunity. The city is targeting to vaccinate an estimated 1.2 million out of the 1.8 total population.