VA Manila (RO&OPC) Sat, May 29 at 6:10 AM VA Manila Outpatient Clinic Announcements and Reminders 1. MEMORIAL DAY 2021 Memorial Day is our most solemn national holiday. A time to celebrate the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans by those who have fallen in battle. A time to reflect and commemorate the service of those service members who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives while defending the values and ideals of the United States. Without their brave and valiant service, and the shared sacrifices of their families and loved ones, America and the world would be a different place today. While COVID-19 continues to impact our ability to gather and pay homage to the fallen, I would like to share the US Embassy’s 2020 Memorial Day message, featuring former Ambassador Sung Y. Kim and Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, which is available to view: https://ph.usembassy.gov/tag/memorial-day/. Their words are as true today as they were last year. VA Manila leadership will participate in memorial services both at the Manila American Cemetery in Taguig City and the Clark Veterans Cemetery in Clark Freeport. While these commemorations will not be open to the public, VA and the US Embassy will show our support and solidarity in remembering those Veterans who served and sacrificed. The US Embassy will post photos of these services to their social media pages and to the US Embassy website as Memorial Day approaches, which you can follow online via the following links: • United States Embassy in the Philippines (Website) • US Embassy in the Philippines (Twitter) 2. COVID-19 VACCINATIONS UPDATES: VA Manila is reaching the end of our very successful first wave of COVID-19 vaccinations. By tomorrow, Saturday, May 29, 2021, the VA Manila Outpatient Clinic will have vaccinated approximately 20% of the enrolled Veteran population at the VA Manila Outpatient Clinic, all in just the last six weeks. This has been a tremendous undertaking and would not have been possible without the commitment and dedication of the VA Manila’s superb pharmacy, physician, nursing, and administrative staff. They have worked tirelessly to schedule vaccine appointments, administer vaccines, and ensure that every possible dose of vaccine that we had was able to be used. VA Manila is currently working with VA leadership in Washington, DC to coordinate the shipment and delivery of a second batch of COVID-19 vaccines. While we do not yet have a confirmed date for delivery, we are actively planning and intend to administer vaccines as quickly and safely as possible once the next shipment is received. For the second shipment, the VA Manila Outpatient Clinic is requesting the Janssen / Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccine. This is a one-dose vaccine option is preferred by our Veteran population in the Philippines who need to travel to Manila to receive the vaccine. Being able to complete their COVID-19 vaccination with just one visit to the Clinic, rather than two, allows us to vaccinate twice as many people as compared to a vaccine option which requires a second dose (such as Pfizer-BioNTech). The Janssen / J&J vaccine has been granted Emergency Use Authorization by both the United States and Philippines Food and Drug Administration, respectively, and is considered highly safe and effective. Links to the US Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine fact sheet are provided below: Janssen COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet: • FDA Janssen COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet (PDF) • FDA Janssen COVID-19 vaccine fact sheets in more languages (including Tagalog) When the second vaccine delivery arrives, the Clinic will still focus our vaccination efforts on our enrolled Veteran population. Until VA Manila has been able to offer a COVID-19 vaccine to all enrolled Veterans who currently receive medical benefits at the Outpatient Clinic, we will not be able to expand vaccination efforts to non-enrolled Veterans or spouses and caregivers. The SAVE LIVES Act, HR 1276, which authorizes VA to provide vaccines to all Veterans, and spouses/caregivers, requires that VA prioritize enrolled Veterans ahead of all other groups in the absence of a readily available supply of vaccines. We have received a significant number of requests from non-enrolled Veterans, spouses, and caregivers who have expressed interest in receiving a vaccine from VA Manila. At this time, VA Manila is unable to provide an estimate of when the Clinic may be able to begin vaccinating these individuals, but it will likely be at least several more months. Non-enrolled Veterans, spouses, and caregivers may wish to consider receiving a COVID-19 vaccine from any available source that is offered to you, including your local barangay, municipality, or provincial government or health department. As more vaccine supply is received by the Philippines, this may be a faster option to ensure you receive a vaccine and are protected from COVID-19. The best vaccine you can receive is the one that can get into your arm. How to Let VA Manila Know You Want a Vaccine? VA Manila has put two new processes in place for Veterans to use to notify VA that they would like to receive a vaccine. These processes are different depending on your enrollment status with VA. Enrolled Veterans who have used VA Healthcare services in the past can register their intent to be vaccinated online by following the steps below in part A. Non-enrolled Veterans, Spouses, and Caregivers can register by sending an email as outlined below in part B. A. Enrolled Veterans in VA Healthcare Services: You can register and let VA know you would like to get a vaccine from VA Manila online at VA's COVID-19 Vaccination Website (https://www.va.gov/health- care/covid-19-vaccine/). On this website, you will click on the “Sign Up Now” and “Sign Up” buttons. It will direct you to a registration form with the first question: • If you are an enrolled Veteran who has accessed VA Healthcare in the past, answer yes. If not, please follow the non-enrolled Veteran sign up process listed further below in this message. For currently enrolled Veterans, on the second page of the form, a question about your US Zip Code will come up. • Please use Zip Code 96517 when completing this form. This will direct your online submission to VA Manila, where we will use it to contact enrolled Veterans when it is your turn to receive your vaccine appointment. Please complete the form as you normally would otherwise, ensuring your email and telephone numbers are accurate. We will use these as the two primary ways VA Manila will reach you when it’s your turn to be vaccinated. B. Non-Enrolled Veterans, and Spouses / Caregivers: Once VA Manila has had an opportunity to offer a COVID-19 vaccine to all enrolled Veterans at VA Manila, if we have enough vaccine available, we intend to offer vaccines to all US Veterans in the Philippines. It is estimated that as many as 30,000 US Veterans live in the Philippines, so this is a large cohort of Veterans. It is unlikely that VA Manila will be able to start vaccinating individuals in these groups for several months, if not longer. But while you wait, please follow the process below and let VA know you would like to receive a vaccine. We can use this information to help us with planning and to know you’d like a vaccine. You can let VA Manila know that you’d like a COVID-19 Vaccine if you are a non- Enrolled Veteran, a Spouse or Caregiver of a Veteran, and would like a vaccine. To do this, please send an email to: [email protected]. Please use the following subject line in your email: “Non-Enrolled Veteran / Spouse / Caregiver Vaccine Intent” In the body of your email, include the following information: • Name, Date of Birth, Last 4 of Social Security Number • (if a spouse/caregiver of a Veteran): Veteran’s Name, Date of Birth, Last 4 of Social Security Number (if applicable) • Local Address (full street, barangay, city, province, postal code). • Local Phone Number and Email Address • Include a statement that you want to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, and are you willing to travel to VA Manila in Pasay City to receive the vaccine. When you send a message to this information, a member of the VA Manila staff will compile your information into a secured database and maintain the information on file. When VA Manila receives enough vaccines to offer a shot to all enrolled Veterans, we will begin to contact non-Veterans in priority order based on age. VA Manila will maintain this information and contact Veterans with additional information about when a COVID-19 vaccine may be available for them from the Outpatient Clinic. After non- enrolled Veterans, if any supplies are remaining, we can offer them to spouses and caregivers. You can also email [email protected] if you have any questions or need additional information about VA Manila’s vaccination efforts. This email box will be reviewed by several individuals and our goal is to respond to all questions within 3 business days. Veterans who are active patients should use Secure Messenger within MyHealtheVet to communicate with their care team. 3. VA MANILA OUTPATIENT CLINIC OPERATIONS – EFFECTIVE JULY 6, 2021 As VA Manila looks ahead to the July 4th holiday, we are planning for expanded in-person operations. The Clinic will resume providing most healthcare appointments as in-person effective Tuesday, July 6, 2021. The Clinic’s plan for its schedule is to have 80% of primary care and mental health appointments scheduled as in-person, and 20% of these appointments provided with virtual care options.