Joey Concepcion to support mandatory COVID-19 vaccination if needed

Joey Concepcion III, President Rodrigo Duterte’s adviser for entrepreneurship, said Tuesday that he would support the proposed mandatory COVID-19 vaccination if needed.

Concepcion vowed to support the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination so the Philippines could attain herd immunity.

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“We will support it kasi if we don’t reach herd immunity, masisira ‘yung bansa natin. Hindi lang tataas ‘yung infection ang mangyayari dito, mawawala ang maraming negosyo magsasarado,” he said.

“Kung mangyayari ‘yan, lahat ng mga empleyado namin baka mawalan ng trabaho. Kung mangyari ‘yan babagsak ang economy,” he added.

(We will support it because if we don’t reach herd immunity, our country will be destroyed. Not only will the infections rise but many businesses will shut down. If that happens all our employees may lose their jobs. If that happens the economy will collapse.)

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According to vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr., the Philippines would need 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to achieve herd immunity before the end of 2021.

“Now we are pushing really hard to encourage every employee. It’s your civic duty, have mercy,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga filed new House Bill 9252 or the “Mandatory COVID-19 Immunization Act of 2021.”

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Also read: FDA: Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination ‘very debatable’

Joey Concepcion to support mandatory COVID-19 vaccination if needed

“The COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021 shall be mandatory for persons as may be determined by the DOH and shall be given for free at any government hospital or health center, and as provided in Republic Act No. 11525, PROVIDED, That inoculation must, at all times, be science and evidence based.”

“Consequently, a mandatory mass wide COVID-19 Vaccination Program is imperative to solve the present COVID-19  and achieve ‘herd immunity’ or ‘population immunity,’” explained Barzaga.

“The World Health Organization supports achieving ‘herd immunity’ through vaccination, not by allowing a disease to spread through any segment of the population that would result in unnecessary cases and deaths.”

Currently, only healthcare workers, senior citizens, and people with other serious illnesses (comorbidities) are vaccinated against COVID-19. It is estimated that in May or June 2021, the A4 priority lists will be vaccinated, which includes market vendors, public transport workers, religious leaders, and other sectors that often face the public.

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