ASIDE from intensifying the Covid-19 vaccination rollout, a Davao City councilor said the city should also intensify its routine immunization among infant children after also seeing a low turnout.
Councilor Mary Joselle Villafuerte, committee chairperson on health, said in a radio interview that this was among the issues raised by the City Health Office (CHO).
“We were informed sa (by) CHO na ang atong (that our) routine immunization pud, ating (our) childhood infant vaccination, suffered due to Covid-19,” Villafuerte said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
The councilor attributed the limited movement due to existing rules and regulations as a contributing factor for the low turnout on pediatrics immunization, particularly those getting vaccines against measles and polio.
Villafuerte, who was a guest speaker during the 22nd Philippine National Immunization Conference, said there is a need to strengthen immunization among these age groups to prevent another outbreak.
“Na-warn tayo ng (We were already warned by) WHO (World Health Organization) that if we do not do anything, apason nato atong (that we need to catch up with the) routine immunization for children and infants, basig (there’s a possibility that) we are looking at another outbreak,” she said.
The councilor, who is the author of the Comprehensive Immunization For All Infants and Children Ordinance, revealed that the said city law is still not being implemented since it will be enforced during enrolment in schools.
The country is currently implementing blended learning modalities, with most students studying at home.
She admitted that almost all local governments in the country are focused on achieving herd immunity against Covid-19.
To address this concern, Villafuerte said the Department of Health (DOH) recommended the revival of the “Bakuna Wednesdays” wherein pediatrics will avail of free immunization at their respective health centers.
During her recent visit to Barangay Tugbok Proper, she saw that some parents are now slowly going back to the health centers to have their children vaccinated.
The councilor also said the mobile vaccination, led by the councilors, will now be modified as it will now be called “vaccination plus.”
Under this new vaccination strategy, other services such as free circumcision and physical checkup will be available during the mobile vaccination.
She said minimum health protocols will still strictly be observed.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser clarified that the vaccination for other diseases had never stopped.
She said there were delays in the delivery of services as some parents were hesitant to bring their children to the centers for fear of possibly getting infected with the virus.