The vaccine czar Gálvez will not be alone in an additional task

The Secretary General for Implementation of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Carlito Gálvez Jr., will not work alone on managing processes when it comes to securing COVID-19 vaccines for Filipinos, the Health Department said.

Other interested government agencies, as well as doctors and vaccine experts, will help Gálvez in his new role as vaccine czar, said the undersecretary of the Department of Health, María Rosario Vergeire.

“Secretary Gálvez will not work alone. He will continue to work with us, with the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Commerce and Industry, the Department of Health, the Department of Finance, the Department of Foreign Relations, the Investment Office … Siya po ang mag lead sa amin (He will be the one to guide us), ”Vergeire said in an online forum.

“This would be a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. We will help and support him ”, he added.

Vergeire also said there will be no changes to the country’s existing immunization program process.

“The established procedure and processes would still be followed. Ayun pa rin po ang gagawin natin (That would still be followed). Most importantly, “yung ating (our) regulatory process to ensure these vaccines are safe and effective ipagpapatupad pa rin natin (we still will),” he said.

“We have been implementing the national immunization program for decades. We have experience when it comes to vaccine distribution, storage and deployment, “he added.

Vergeire said that Gálvez could push for an additional layer to speed up the processes regarding the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

“Nilagay siya dyan for magkaroon tayo ng (was appointed there to have) a faster saka (and) a more efficient way to do all these things that we need for vaccines,” said the Health official.

President Duterte announced last Monday the appointment of Gálvez as vaccine czar. Gálvez was tasked with overseeing the negotiation, manufacture, production, purchase, or distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines.