Duterte orders door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination for indigents

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered government vaccinators to go door-to-door in indigent communities to administer COVID-19 vaccines.

The president wants the vaccines brought directly to the poor so they do not have to travel to hospitals to get inoculated.

He stressed the need for all government assets and departments to contribute to this initiative.

However, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III expressed reservations about the logistical challenges and potential personnel shortages for monitoring adverse effects.

Duque explained that current vaccinations are conducted at fixed sites to facilitate monitoring and allow for mass vaccinations, which a door-to-door approach would hinder.

Duterte wanted the directive implemented quickly, despite indigent communities being lower on the priority list than health workers.