PIA, DOH enjoin gov’t IOs to help in COVID-19 vaccination IEC in CAR
By Carlito C. Dar
BAGUIO CITY, March 5(PIA) – – Vaccines for the Coronavirus disease can help protect people and the government and its health sector partners will ensure that only safe and efficient vaccines will be given to the Filipino people, thus it is important that right information will be provided to all sectors of society to explain its importance in the country’s fight against the COVID – 19.
The Philippine Information Agency – Cordillera office(PIA-CAR) convened on Thursday (March 4) a meeting with information officers and communicators from regional line agencies and local government for a briefing on national vaccination and deployment program and to seek their help in the information, education and communication campaign on this.
PIA – CAR Regional Director Helen Tibaldo outlined the importance of a whole-of-nation approach in communicating the right information about the national vaccination and deployment program and enjoined all RLAs and LGU information officers to help in ensuring that right information about vaccines and its importance in fight against COVID – 19 will reach every community and sector of society in the region.
During the blended (online and face to face) meeting Dr. Anachris Kilakil of the Department of Health – CAR Regional Vaccination Operation Center provided an orientation on the national vaccination and deployment program and updates on status of the vaccination rollout while Patrick Pineda of DOH – CAR Health Education and Promotion Office presented COVID 19-related advocacy campaign of the health department.
PIA – CAR Information Officer Jamie Joie Malingan also shared the agency’s regional COVID – 19 communications delivery strategy.
Kilakil explained that only vaccines that are safe and effective will be given to the Filipino people and there are bodies like the Food and Drug Administration, the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group, Health Technology Assessment Council and the National Adverse Effect Following Immunization Committee that are helping to ensure safety and efficacy.
The government’s COVID – 19 vaccination program is free and voluntary but it plays an important role in the country’s fight against COVID – 19. Vaccination is an important tool to help stop COVID-19. The benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines to the person, the healthcare and the economy outweigh the side effects. So she encouraged the participants to help in giving the right information to the public, so they can be convinced that an added amount of protection is much better than none at all.
Any kind of vaccine that comes first is effective and altogether we will explain to them what are the right information they need about the vaccine, she said.
Kilakil informed that CAR’s share of the coronavac Sinovac vaccines from China that arrived in the Philippines last February 28 was set to be delivered to DOH – CAR Thursday. Priority recipients are health workers from the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Luis Hora General Memorial Hospital and Bontoc General Hospital in Mountain Province, Kalinga Provincial Hospital and the Benguet General Hospital. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)
