PHILIPPINE National Police chief, General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar on Wednesday said he has ordered the deployment of their Medical Reserve Force (MRF) to various Quezon City vaccination centers to help in the administration of COVID-19 vaccines and prevent long lines and overcrowding.

He said that members of the PNP-MRF were assigned at the San Francisco High School, the Project 6 Elementary School, and the Masambong Elementary School which are all being utilized as vaccination centers for Q.C. residents.

Personnel of the PNP-MRF personnel have served in PNP-operated quarantine facilities such as the Ultra Stadium in Pasig City and the PICC quarantine center in Pasay City.

“Our Medical Reserve Force is deployed to help ensure a smooth vaccination rollout. Tutulong sila sa pagbabakuna para mas mapabilis ang proseso at hindi naiipon ang napakaraming tao o humahaba ang pila sa ating mga vaccination centers,” the PNP chief said.

“Gusto nating iwasan na maging super spreader events ang pag-aantay natin na tayo’y mabakunahan. Imbes na proteksyon eh baka virus pa ang makuha natin. Kaya minabuti po naming mag-deploy ng aming Medical Reserve Force para makatulong sa mga nangangasiwa sa ating vaccination sites,” he added.

Gen. Eleazar cited an incident in Parañaque City where a crowd of residents attempted to get inoculated at a mall even if they were not scheduled to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. In the process minimum health safety protocols particularly physical distancing were disregarded.

The PNP chief said that all members of the PNP-MRF would be given a refresher course or reorientation for the administration of the vaccines before deployment.

PNP, BFP to secure province-bound vaccines

Local Government Secretary Eduardo Ano directed the PNP and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to work closely with the Department of Health and coordinate with the local government units (LGUs) for a speedy delivery of the COVID shots to the provinces and to make it sure that the COVID-19 vaccines will reach its destinations on time.

As of Monday, about 7,149,020 out of 7,779,050 COVID-19 vaccine doses were already deployed to vaccination centers nationwide.

Of these, 3,001,875 vaccine doses have been administered; 2,282,273 were given as a first dose while 719,602 doses were used for the second dose

“I’ve directed the PNP to secure these vaccines every step of the way and to ensure its fast delivery,” Ano said.

“In coordination with the DOH, we will closely monitor the performance of the LGUs and we will require daily reports from them to ensure that they are meeting their targets,” he said. With Joel dela Torre