Kinuwestyon ni Iloilo District Rep. Janette Garin ang desisyon ng Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF)na gawin ang pagbabakuna sa mga batang edad 15-17 taong-gulang laban sa coronavirus disease sa 19 piling ospital sa National Capital Region (NCR).
Napili ng IATF ang Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Philippine Heart Center, Pasig City Children’s Hospital, Fe Del Mundo Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital, St. Luke’s Medical Center (Bonifacio Global City), At Makati Medical Center bilang vaccination sites ng mga menor de edad sa rehiyon.
Para kay Garin, hindi lapat sa siyensya ang pasyang ito ng IATF kundi produkto lang ng fake news.
“While I understand the need for precautions, common sense would dictate that the hospital setting is not the safest place to be during a pandemic. Doing vaccination in hospitals will expose our teenage children to more viruses and possibly to COVID-19,”sabi ni Garin na dating kalihim ng Department of Health (DOH).
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Dagdag pa nito, dagdag umanong pasanin pa ng mga ospital ang pagbabakuna sa mga menor de edad kung saan “exhausted, overworked, and underpaid” na ang mga healthcare workers.
“If the more fragile population was vaccinated outside hospitals, then why are we risking our teens to go to hospitals?” dagdag ni Garin.
Nagtataka rin si Garin kung ang pasyang ito ng IATF ay may gabay ba ng siyensa at kung aprubado ba ito ng National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) at iba pang eksperto.
“Were hospitals, who are already overloaded, consulted if they have the capacity and the manpower to do the added work? Were parents given a choice if they want their teenagers to go to hospitals or to community vaccination sites?” tanong ni Garin.
“Why are we not using science to make policy decisions in our COVID response? The science is there. The facts are there. The good medical and economic suggestions are there,” litanya ng mababatas.
“It’s a shame that facts and science fall into deaf ears. Nananatili silang bulag sa katotohanan at bingi sa siyensya at medisina. Kawawa ang taumbayan. Talo ang Pilipino.”
Melvin Sarangay
