MORE JABS HAVE ARRIVED. A total of 7,200 vials of the Sinovac vaccines arrive at the Iloilo airport on Tuesday (March 30, 2021). They will be distributed to provinces and highly urbanized cities for the inoculation of their frontline health workers. (Photo courtesy of the Regional Vaccination Operations Center)
ILOILO CITY - An additional 7,200 vials of the Sinovac vaccines arrived on Tuesday in Iloilo for distribution to various provinces and highly urbanized cities of Western Visayas.
In a text message, Dr. Mary Jane Juanico, head of the infectious disease cluster of the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD), said the additional vials were from the 400,000 vials that arrived in the country on March 24.
In a virtual presser on Monday afternoon, she said the region as per initial information was supposed to receive 65,000 doses of any vaccine type to already cover all the frontline health workers in Western Visayas.
“We were informed that some of these vaccines will still be channeled or reallocated to NCR (National Capital Region) and its bubble provinces because of the urgent need to stop the cases there,” she said.
She added that the 7,200 doses are not enough so DOH Western Visayas is considering giving these to remaining unvaccinated health care workers in hospitals and temporary treatment facilities.
On Monday, Juanico said 26,442 health care workers in the region have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccines, both Sinovac and AstraZeneca.
The number represents 27.9 percent of the 94,770 master listed eligible health workers in the region.
As of March 28, the region has received 29, 189 doses of Coronavac (Sinovac) and AstraZeneca, the DOH in a press statement said.
With the scarcity of supply, the DOH WV CHD also said that they are following the prioritization framework in identifying the vaccine to ensure the protection and preservation of the health care system as it continues to battle the health pandemic.
First in the list of priority are health care workers in Covid-29 referral hospitals; public and private infirmaries providing Covid-19 care; isolation and quarantine facilities catering to Covid-19 suspect, probable and confirmed cases, close contacts, and travelers in quarantine; remaining hospitals including facilities of uniformed services not catering to Covid-19 cases, government-owned primary case-based facilities; stand-alone facilities, clinics, and diagnostic centers; and closed institutions and settings such as nursing homes, orphanages, jails, detention centers and drug treatment and rehabilitation centers.
Next on the priority list are senior citizens, people with co-morbidities, frontline personnel in the essential sector, and the remaining indigent population. (PNA)
