The Department of Health (DOH) announced Friday that vaccination sites are no longer required to get the vital signs of individuals getting inoculated against COVID-19.
“We issued a policy regarding this matter that vital signs screening should not be included anymore as part of our process,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press conference.
“We issued a policy regarding this matter that vital signs screening should not be included anymore as part of our process,” she said.
“Ang kailangan lang bantayan ng ating healthcare workers ay yung talagang may established na hypertension at talagang nakikita natin na meron silang organ damage,” she said.
(Health workers only need to monitor those with established hypertension and those who have organ damage.)
The DOH official said a separate lane should be dedicated for individuals who needed to be closely observed due to their medical history.
“Hopefully ipatupad na ng local governments natin para maibsan yung pagpila at paghaba ng pila at pag-aantay ng mga kababayan natin sa vaccination sites,” Vergeire said.
As of May 13, the Philippines has inoculated between 67,000 and 83,000 people daily, according to data from the DOH.
Vital signs screening no longer required in vaccination sites: DOH
The government targets to vaccinate at least 50 million people by the end of 2021 to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19.
DOH also said that the vaccine confidence of Filipinos increased to nearly 75 percent since the country began its vaccination program against COVID-19.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the data was based on a survey on willingness to get vaccinated, conducted from March 19 to March 30 among an undisclosed number of respondents.
Around 75 percent responded in the affirmative when asked if they would be willing to be vaccinated, Vergeire said.
“Mataas na ‘yung kumpiyansa ng mga kababayan natin sa pagbabakuna compared to the initial which was just at 65 percent,” she said.
Around 86 percent of respondents said they believe that COVID-19 vaccines are “safe and efficacious,” Vergeirie said.
“Nakita natin ‘yung pagtaas ng kumpiyansa ng ating mga kababayan noong nakita nilang marami na pong nababakunahan lalong lalo na po na nakita nila na maayos naman ang proseso ng gobyerno,” she said.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.