Democratizing and Privatizing Covid19 Vaccination Would be Practical, Patriotic, and the Fastest Way. What we need from Government.

David Celestra Tan, MSK
14 February 2021

Just like the rest of the world, the Filipinos badly need to recover fast from the socio-economic confinement of Covid19. Now that vaccines are available, the government needs to make way for Filipinos to gain access to these vaccines as soon as possible.

That does not mean the government needs to pay for it wholly.  It doesn’t mean they have to do it all. There are many large corporations and even private individuals who are able and willing to pay for the vaccinations to enable them to operate more fully than GCQ levels. And there are many who are able to draw on their logistics management expertise to deploy and administer the vaccines to their employees and the communities they serve.

The most important thing is to give the Filipinos the fastest way to gain access to inoculation. We don’t need to do it the American way or rich country ways.

What we need from government is to enable a fast solution while at the same time providing the needed safeguards to assure they get the right vaccines without price gouging. In other words, enable the acquisition and get out of the way.

1. Enable a system where private companies and hospitals can gain supply at normal rates from accredited vaccine suppliers. Work with the private sector in successfully negotiating supply.
2. Allow the private sector to choose the brands of vaccines that they are more comfortable using. Make available all good and approved vaccines worldwide. Let us not play politics.
3. Prescribe requirements for the private sector for the safe logistical handling of the vaccine and their proper administration
4. Institute safeguards to assure the Filipinos that they are getting the approved vaccines and protected from being price-gouged. Impose stiff punishments for those who will take advantage of the situation in these critical times. Establish price controls if needed. Exploiters are the worst kinds, let’s punish them without mercy.
5. Apply the government’s own resources to providing the vaccine to those who need government assistance. That might just be 30% of the population.
6. Coordinate with other governments on Covid19 and the vaccines. Be a provider of up to date information.

We estimate that the private companies, especially the large conglomerates can easily afford the vaccines and enable about 50% of the population to be inoculated fast right there. It is a big step towards herd immunity. Assuming we can gain vaccine supply. San Miguel, NGCP, Meralco, Aboitiz, Manila Water, Ayala, Smart, and all those companies enjoying lucrative profits in infrastructure, can easily afford the vaccinations. How about the banks, transport companies, real estate, oil, and power companies?

These private businesses would be happy to pay for the cost of the increased opening of their businesses. A hotel would be happy to spend P250,000 to inoculate their 100 employees for the right to advertise that their hotel is 100% inoculated.

If there are companies who are willing to donate an equivalent amount to the government for the vaccines they are allowed to acquire for their employees, it is even better.

Some words of caution however on these vaccines.

Vaccination only adds protection internally fromCovid19. We still need those external protection like face masks, social distancing, and hand washing. Even if we are inoculated, we still can be a carrier so we still cannot freely be in crowds and move about.

The other thing is these vaccines, Pfizer, Moderna, Astrazeneca, Johnson and Johnson, the China and Russian brands, have only been tested to prevent humans from being sick with Covid19.  While many claim up to 95% efficacy, none of these vaccines have been tested and observed long enough to know how long is the protection. Will it be six months or one year?  How soon can we try another brand? Which ones will work better for certain pre-existing conditions? For the young and old? For men and women? How about the new strains of Covid?

We can worry about those later. For now, let us get started vaccinating the Filipinos as soon as possible. Let us democratize and privatize access and administration of this medicinal cure.

Various bills in Congress have been filed to enable the private sector to participate more fully in the vaccination. Do we really need a new law? Why not a quicker but enlightened Executive Order? Let us not waste time on a debate. Let us not play politics. And let us not give opportunities to those who will try to unconscionably make money from this badly needed solution. This is an emergency.

 The government does not need to do it on its own with its own limited resources.

Let the private sector do it. Don’t worry, these companies are not doing it necessarily for patriotic reasons. They need to operate. They need the economy moving. They need their customers to start buying again.

Let the government be the enable of the vaccinations. Not necessarily its provider.

Democratization and privatization is key….with government safeguards.

Keep safe everyone.

Matuwid na Singil sa Kuryente Consumer Alliance Inc.
david.mskorg@yahoo.com.ph
matuwid.org