A total of 610 healthcare workers in Iloilo City are now fully vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.
They got their second dose of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine yesterday during the vaccination activity held at the Ateneo de Iloilo.
To recall, these frontliners got their first shot of COVID-19 vaccines last March 14.
According to Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, who personally visited the vaccination site, the city received another batch of at least 4,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines from the national government.
These will be administered to the next batch of the city’s medical frontliners next week.
Treñas said he is seeking assurance from the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. if there will be more vaccines allotment for Iloilo or Western Visayas so that the 4,000 doses the city earlier received will all be used for the first dose.
“Ginaplanohan ta sa dason nga semana ang nag-abot sa aton nga 4,000, either ang 2,000 sina obrahon first dose kag i-reserve ang 2,000 for the second dose or ilarga ta na lang tanan para mas madamo mabakunahan. Maistorya lang ko kay Secretary Galvez para manigurado lang ta para may second dose kita nga madason,” said Treñas.
Earlier, in his letter to Galvez, Treñas has requested for the provision of 105,250 more doses of COVID-19 vaccines for Iloilo City.
Over 6,000 healthcare personnel under the A1 priority group have yet to be inoculated.
“Given the rapid mutations of the virus and emergence of new COVID-19 variants, local chief executives in Western Visayas are determined to expedite the vaccination process to reduce the number of deaths, sustain our economy and achieve herd immunity. The efforts of our fallen frontliners must not be for naught,” Treñas stressed.
Data from the City Health Office showed that a total of 31,900 senior citizens are eligible under the A2 priority population, and 16,065 individuals below 60 years old with comorbidities fall under A3 priority group.
Citing the Department of Health 6 (DOH-6) data, the city mayor further noted that only 35,394 of the 124,994 master-listed eligible population in Priority A1 have been inoculated, for an accomplishment rate of 28.32 percent (for the first dose).
Treñas added that as of April 11, 2021, only 7.49 percent have received their second dose, notwithstanding the directive for simultaneous vaccination of the first three priority groups.
“It is worth mentioning that ‘red’ areas in Western Visayas which equally suffer from surge of new cases and local transmission, have yet to receive sufficient provision of COVID-19 vaccines to finish A1 priority group,” Treñas lamented.
As of April 12, the city logged 302 active COVID-19 cases.
“Aton ya subong under control but be guarded because you know anytime nga mapabay-an ta lang diutay masaka gid ini,” said Treñas.
The city mayor also noted that Iloilo City could not implement travel restrictions against Bacolod City, Negros Occidental and other provinces in the region because all are under the same classification which is modified general community quarantine.
“So whether nagasaka kaso nila like Antique, Capiz and Roxas City, we cannot have some travel restrictions because under omnibus rules of the IATF, those provinces or cities that are under the same quarantine qualification cannot have travel restrictions. So we will just have to bite the bullet and pray that we will not be infected,” the city mayor explained./WDJ