Roque wants home vaccinations for the elderly

MANILA - Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque on Thursday said he will suggest vaccinating the elderly in their homes as some of them are unable to go to vaccination sites.

Roque shared that he is taking care of his bedridden aunt and uncle and he had to arrange for their inoculation at home in Quezon City.

"I wonder how many seniors in fact cannot leave their homes because they’re bedridden," he told ANC's Headstart.

"I think I’m going to suggest that LGUs somehow exert effort to determine if the seniors who are not being inoculated is because they’re physically unable to leave their rooms and that in which case we should come up with a system," he said.

Asked again if he would recommend possible house-to-house vaccination for seniors, Roque said yes.

Roque said that in their village, to encourage vaccination for this age group, a certain date was set for seniors to be inoculated at the parish grounds. Those who still cannot go were visited in their homes.

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Wednesday urged senior citizens to get vaccinated against COVID-19, citing reports that few elderly people have received their jabs in the country's inoculation drive.

He said there is hesitancy among people aged 60 years and above to get inoculated. He noted that only 11 percent of senior citizens in the country have received their COVID-19 shots since the rollout began in March.

• Galvez urges senior citizens to get vaccinated vs COVID-19