The country’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination program will continue during elections, said Presidential Adviser on Covid-19 response, Secretary Vince Dizon.

During the pre-recorded Talk to the People of President Rodrigo Duterte aired Tuesday night, Dizon said the local government units (LGUs) have understood the need to continue the massive vaccination program while the election campaign period is ongoing.

Thus, National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III requested the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to exempt all the vaccination efforts and other vaccination-related activities from the poll ban.

“Puwede pong tuloy-tuloy ang bakuna kahit na po nagsimula na ang local campaign sa ating mga probinsiya, sa atin pong mga cities and municipalities. Very important po ‘yun, Mayor, para po kahit na nangangampanya ang ating mga opisyales ay hindi po dapat huminto ang pagbabakuna (The vaccination may continue even is the local campaign in our provinces, in our cities and municipalities, have started. It is very important Mayor so that even our officials are campaigning, the vaccination should not be hampered),” Dizon told Duterte.

Dizon said the NTF and health authorities are exerting all efforts to increase the country’s vaccination coverage nationwide, particularly in areas that are still lagging behind their target population.

“Sa ngayon po (So far), most of the key cities in the country have already achieved the targets of 70 percent of the target population, fully vaccinated, and 70 percent of the elderly, ‘yun pong mga senior citizens natin ay fully vaccinated (70 percent of our senior citizens are now fully vaccinated),” he added.

The government is now focusing the vaccination efforts in the island provinces of the Bicol region, and other areas in the provinces of Palawan, Marinduque, Romblon, Mindoro Oriental, and Mindoro Occidental. (PNA)