The Iloilo City government is purchasing more vaccine doses against coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, for the inoculation of non-city residents.

According to Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, the city government will have additional 200,000 doses of vaccine from AstraZeneca for those who are working in the city but not residing here.

“Nagdugang kami another 200,000 para sa mga tawo nga ari diri nga naga-obra nga indi taga-syudad. Although daw second priority na sa AstraZeneca pero ato na ato sa ila. Assuming nga mahatag sang Astra ang tanan nga ginapangayo ta, we will have vaccine for 400,000 people at two doses each. So damo-damo na, so by that time siguro ready-ready naman ta,” said Treñas.

The city government through Treñas has earlier signed a tripartite agreement with AstraZeneca and the national government for the advance procurement of the first 600,000 doses of AZD1222 Vaccine.

It will cover 600,000 doses good for 300,000 city residents.

“We need to immunize everyone to make sure the economy can move forward,” the city mayor added.

Meanwhile, as the two-week moratorium for the returning locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in the city is about to end on Thursday, January 21, the city government is planning to bring back the swab testing station at the Iloilo International Airport for arriving LSIs who are city residents.

“We will again put our testing station at the airport on January 22 so we can swab those who will enter the city after our moratorium ends,” said Treñas.

The moratorium was requested by the city mayor because of the increasing COVID-19 cases among LSIs. There were also those uncooperative repatriates who refused to be swabbed, disappointing the city mayor./WDJ