Once many have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the use of the so-called vaccine passport can also become a protocol, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
“Magkakaroon ng QR code ang bawat isang tao na makaka-receive ng bakunang ito. This will be something like a unique identifier for specific persons who will receive the vaccine,” said DOH spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire.
But according to Vergeire, there is still a lack of information on how long a person vaccinated with COVID-19 will be immune.
Because of this, it is still necessary to follow the minimum health standards such as wearing a face mask and following physical distancing.
The DOH also said that it is not yet clear whether the vaccines that have been rolled out abroad so far have been effective.
“So whatever the other countries are doing right now, ‘yun pong effectiveness ng bakuna would depend on the outcomes of the population that would be measured and it will take long,” said Vergeire.
Vergeire also clarified that deciding what vaccines can be sent to cities and remote areas will be based on storage requirements and not on efficacy rates.
COVID-19 vaccines for remote areas based on the storage requirement
“Kung ang requirement natin highly technical logistical requirement, like for example those requiring ultra-low freezer, ito’y hindi talaga natin mailalagay sa far-flung areas.”
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez previously said that vaccines such as Pfizer-BioNTech that need ultra-cold freezers cannot be shipped to remote areas.
The Pfizer vaccine, which can now be used in the Philippines for emergency use, cannot be injected into children 16 years of age or younger.
This is also the case with the Moderna vaccine for those below 18 years old.
Pfizer is available to those who have a pre-existing medical condition and are pregnant with the blessing of their doctor. Those who already have COVID-19 can also be injected.
Sinovac, meanwhile, said it is easier to transported and distributed because it can be at a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.