GOVERNORS from the country’s 81 provinces have rejected Health Secretary Francisco Duque’s call for them to return the COVID-19 vaccine supplies which they earlier got from the Department of Health.
In saying no to Duque’s call, Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr., in his capacity as president of the League of Provinces, said that heeding on the health secretary would compromise two things – the health of the constituents and the vaccine itself.
Duque earlier urged the local government units to return their share of COVID-19 vaccines for the use of the national capital region, where 40 percent of the national tally of new cases come from.
According to Velasco, he finds it rather unjust to take away what is due to the countryside.
“Yung mga binibigay po sa mga lalawigan ay hindi naman po karamihan kaya palagay ko po ay mahirap yung kukunin pa sa amin iyon,” Velasco said.
He also expressed apprehension that transporting the vaccines from far-flung provinces like Marinduque may compromise the integrity of the COVID-19 vaccine supply, citing its nature of being fragile and requiring an extremely-low temperature to keep its potency.
“Kukunin pa ulit ng eroplano [yung mga bakuna], yung pagpreserba po ng bakuna. Mas mahirap po iyon, baka masira pa po,” he added.